camp gladius
by margaeries
Summary: "The Greeks. They're here." Aut vincere aut mori — conquer or die. COMPLETE.
1. · Part I ·

_**Title:**__ Camp Gladius - Part I_

_**Characters/Pairing:**__ Percy Jackson and the Roman demigods._

_**Warning/Spoilers:**__ Contains The Lost Hero spoilers. Happens during the events of said book. May or may not be some minor swearing . . . I didn't see any, but then again I don't necessarily care about cussing so. Just wanted to point it out in case there is some foul language. Another warning: There will be lots and lots and lots of italics._

_**A/N:**__ Yeh, I was not kidding about the size of this. *dies* It originally started out as an oneshot and was 12,000+ words before I decided to actually split this in half as a twoshot-ish kind of thing. Still, the longest piece of FF-related stuff that I've ever written. It went through rigorous editing because I still don't exactly like it, and it's still probably going to suck. :D_

_This was posted because I have ROO chapter 3 unbeta'd and thus it is not suitable for posting, so don't expect an update until ROO is completely finished. Also, don't trust the Latin. I used Google translate. Anyone who does speak it are welcome to tell me the correct equivalent! XD Written for Lola Sveroski's __**Original Cliche Challenge**__. *nod*_

_I am semi-proud of it. Kind of. Yeah. This was beta'd by __**Ariadne's Twine**__. As for you, reader, you get a cookie if you read it all the way. Of course, there'll be a part two containing the real action. Reviews are loved but not needed for my survival. Stay with me, people. I love you for it. ;D_

_Oh. And every dragon/Head Monster featured in here was made up. I don't know if it exists in Roman mythology or not. Hah. Enough of my rambling._

_**Dedication:**__ For Trevor and Cody. Hope you enjoy it, boys._

* * *

**· Part I ·**

* * *

_**U**__gh._

Something warm and furry brushed against his face when he stirred. His eyes snapped open and he started to sit up, but an animal growled and he was pushed back down on the ground by a paw, making him close his eyes briefly.

The growling continued, and he opened his eyes to see a dark brown, almost reddish, underbelly of an animal standing over him protectively, snarling at something in front of it. He turned his head, the rest of his body immobile, to see what the animal was looking at and stifled a gasp.

The thing that his protector was snarling at was a five-headed dragon, taller than all the redwoods in the forest. _I summoned you here, but _he_ is not part of the Challenge, monster_, the thing growled—well, it didn't actually speak, but he could hear it in his mind nonetheless. _Go back into the woods where your Challengers await you. Now._

The dragon whined and snorted, backing up and then crashing through the woods again. The animal's hackles dropped and it stepped off of him, nosing around his bare chest and sniffing—wait, what? Where was his shirt?

He sat up and saw that the remainders of it were in tatters, scattered around the ground. Then he looked at the animal and backpedalled when he saw that it was a wolf. A very large wolf that was probably very hungry.

The wolf looked up and made a deep, throaty sound. If he didn't know better, he would've said that it was laughing. _You have potential, pup. Come. I will take you to Gladius and wait until the Challenge is completed. _

"What—what challenge?" he asked breathlessly, his vision spinning when he managed to stand up. Black spots danced across the forest. He figured that the wolf that could talk could be trusted. It _had_ saved him from that monster, after all.

_The Challenge is something you can do to prove your worth. You are not ready for it, pup_. The wolf hardly glanced back at him as it said this. He tried not to feel angry at its implications.

"Of course I'm ready! I just need a weapon, some armor and healing supplies," he retorted sharply, still wondering if the animal was going to decide that it was hungry and eat him.

The wolf barked a laugh. _Your arrogance will be your downfall. You can barely walk straight, you are dehydrated, and you have no idea where you are. I should kill you where you stand. You have no idea who I am or what I'm capable of. The whole point of the Challenge is to fight in the wilderness to survive with the clothes on your back and magic item of your choice, pup. Then—_if_ you survive—you are exempt from defeat._

He blinked. "Exempt from defeat? What's that supposed to mean?"

Again, the wolf barked a laugh and continued walking. _You will see what I mean, pup, when we reach Gladius. As Jason is missing and Reyna is participating in the Challenge, the fauns will make sure that you do not die of sickness until the Challenge is complete. I would hate it if you succumbed to death. Such a small thing as disease is trivial for one with such potential as you._

"Jason? Reyna? Who are they?" He took the liberty to glance around. He was surrounded by forestry, with the one exception of the huge ravine to his right. He couldn't help wondering what that was for.

_Jason is a missing camper of Gladius. Reyna, you will see when the Challenge is over_. The wolf abruptly leapt over a fallen redwood bark and stared at him critically, waiting for him to do something. _Follow me._ He frowned at the log and noticed the hole beneath it seemed just big enough for him to squeeze through.

The wolf gazed at him when he reached its side and nodded. _Not the way you should've done it, but it works. For now. Never take the easy way out, pup. It makes you lax, soft and easy to conquer. Aut vincere aut mori—conquer or die. This is your way._

He nodded, still confused. "Right, whatever. What—what was that thing back there? The one that wanted to have me for lunch? Where am I?"

_That was_ _Quinque Capita, the head monster that all Challengers must defeat together in order to win the Challenge. I summon him from his location in the world to the forest. Every two months it is a different head monster._

The animal led him to a cliff overlooking a valley and nudged his hand._ Come. This is Aventine Cliff. We approach Gladius._ It turned to the side and began hopping down the rocks that had fallen down the cliff, forming a sliding ramp to reach the ground.

He followed it and lost his balance, slipping and falling onto the rocks, his upper body leaning precariously over the edge. His eyes widened, fear totally encompassing him. _I'm going to die. Crapcrapcrap_. "Uh, whoa, _whoa_—talking wolf, could you help me out here?"

There was a growl. _Prove your worth, pup. Save yourself_, it sneered. _I do _not_ help the weak, especially if they address me as 'Talking Wolf'_. He flailed at its words and grabbed the edge of the sharp rocks, pushing himself backwards. Oddly, he didn't feel any pain at getting scratched by rocks at all. As quickly as it had happened, he was back on solid ground with no danger of falling off. Almost as fast, the wolf was in his face, its teeth exposed in a vicious snarl.

_You are acting like a blind weakling, not knowing where to go or what to do. Slowly but surely you're convincing me to eat you like I do to the weaklings after being tested at the House. Now, do as I do and keep your support on the solid wall. Roma is expecting me to keep you alive, providing that you do not infuriate me, and I will _not_ fail the Protectress, _it snarled, silver eyes flashing.

He got up, his legs weak and jelly-like, and brushed off his jeans. He kept a hand on the cliff's wall of stone for balance like the wolf said. After five minutes, they were safely on the grass. The wolf nodded, satisfied. _Now come. We must find your parent and sort you to your tent as well as get you a new set of clothes._

He nodded, blinking at the sky. "Wait, where are we? I already asked this but you didn't answer."

_I've told you, pup. You are in Gladius. Though how, I am still unsure of. I did not bring you here of my own accord. Listen, and stop annoying me with your redundancy._

He ran a hand through his hair, still unsure of why he was in this place and why he was following a talking wolf that was having second thoughts about not eating him. "No, I meant like . . . what country? State? Et cetera?"

_Camp Gladius, California, United States of America. Near San Francisco. Does that answer your question?_

"Yes. Kind of. I'm not sure. Thank you?" Under his breath, he mumbled, "I'm still confused . . ."

The wolf stopped. _We are here_. He eagerly looked around, only seeing a circular maze of many tents with various symbols on them—waves, lightning, a fireball, the sun and a door were just a few examples—and a large circle filled with sand, outlined in smooth pebbles, to the right of the tents.

By the stone circle was a dirt path leading back to another forest, branching off to go into two different low circular stone walls, each roughly the size of a pasture. A lake was behind the tents with a wooden dock. Behind the tents were two hills, and he could make out a dirt path going between them—to what, he didn't know.

He was confused at the sight of the grounds; feeling like something . . . _different _should've been in its place. _I'm not supposed to be here_, he thought to himself. _What _is _this place?_

The wolf interrupted his mangled thoughts by a small growl. Then it lifted up a chocolate red paw, threw back its head, and howled. He winced at the sound and straightened when it was over. "What do we do now?"

_We enter Gladius. I have announced my arrival. Fauns will be here to care for you soon._

"Fauns?"

The wolf glanced at him in annoyance_. Did you not learn anything in your education? Did your mortal parent not tell you anything about Roman beliefs?_

His mind was bombarded by images of an older woman wearing a red, white and blue apron that said Sweet on America. She had brown hair and blue eyes and she was running her hand through his hair.

"_I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could. They told me that it was a mistake. But there's only one other option—the place your father wanted you to go. And I just . . . I can't stand to do it."_

He blinked and shook his head, breathing hard. The wolf stopped and gazed at him. _Does something trouble you?_

"No." He looked up and saw three animal-like things coming towards them, all wearing purple shirts . . . and nothing else. The lower halves of their bodies were covered in curly but shaggy fur of varying colors. He blinked in surprise, sure that he had seen these things before, but he just . . . couldn't . . . _remember._

They bowed. "Mother Lupa," the one with the white hindquarters greeted, stepping forward after rising, "have you brought us a new arrival? He's older than the toddlers you usually bring to us."

The wolf nudged him forward. _Yes, he is. I was watching the Challengers in the forest when I somehow stepped on him. I do not know how he got here, but he is dehydrated and weak. Nurse him back to health._

The faun nodded. "_Namque mater Roma? Ita vero_." They took him by the arms and brought him to a tent with a large red cross on the sides of it. Inside, it had three rooms, too big to actually fit inside of one tent. The floor was wood and the walls were brick. He had a feeling that tents weren't supposed to _have_ brick walls or wooden floors. "This is the infirmary. Has Mother Lupa determined you?"

He blinked. "Lupa? Who's Lupa?"

The white-haired satyr frowned. "_Mother_ Lupa is the wolf that you saw outside. She saved your life, boy. Be grateful. My name is Kozel. Now, eat this and rest." He handed the boy an apple and led him to a thick mattress on the ground. He took a bite of the apple and blanched at its taste.

"What is this sh—" He never got to finish the question. He dropped the apple and fell back onto the mattress, unconscious.

* * *

**W**hen he woke up from his deep sleep, a girl with straight brown hair and hazel eyes was wiping his face with a wet cloth. "Don't worry, you're safe now," she whispered. "The Challenge is over and you'll be sorted soon. Let's hope you survive this, newbie."

"What?" he asked groggily, trying to sit up again. She pushed him back on the mattress sternly.

"Stay still, you idiot. You're no use to the Mater Roma when you're weak. You need to rest to get your strength back."

"Mater Roma? What? What's going on—?"

Someone knocked at the door and she turned around, cutting him off by shoving a piece of the apple he'd eaten earlier back into his mouth forcefully. He swallowed it accidentally and went limp once more.

_The curly-haired blonde girl looked around then looked back at him when she saw no one was around. "What's going on? What was stolen? We only have a few weeks!"_

"_I'm sorry," he mumbled through mouthfuls of spoon-fed pudding, "I don't . . ."_

_She looked at the door with a gasp and shut him up by putting another spoonful of pudding in his mouth._

The next time he woke up, the girl was gone and so were all the fauns. He was feeling an odd sense of déjà vu as he sat up, looking around the large room. Then he realized that he was wearing a plain, deep purple shirt, and a new pair of jeans was on the edge of the bed.

_. . . What?_

He ignored the jeans and got up from the cot, rubbing his face in exasperation, trying to remember what had happened before he met the wolf—_Lupa_, he corrected mentally. _Except, I have no idea who Lupa's supposed to be._

He pushed through the thick burlap tent flap and squinted at the light. "Hey, the sleeper awakens!" a jovial voice joked from beside him. He looked around to find the voice belonging to a blonde girl with green eyes, accompanied by another girl and two boys. "Hello, new camper, and welcome to Gladius. We hope that you enjoy your stay here, however long that may be." The boys snickered at Blondie's words and elbowed each other as if it was an inside joke.

He grinned uncertainly. "Um, who are you?"

Blondie winked and smiled at him. "I'm Gwendolyn Morrison, daughter of Apollo. These two boys are Bobby and James Garcia, twin sons of Mars, and this lovely lady right here is Dakota Wright, daughter of Ceres. The girl that nursed you back to health is Hazel Scott, daughter of Trivia. Has Mother Lupa sorted you yet?"

She talked too fast. He had no idea who those people Gwendolyn had rattled off about were, except for Mars, because that was a planet, and Apollo because he was a Greek god and he faintly remembered something about him. "Um, who are Ceres and Trivia?"

Dakota narrowed her eyes. "So much for him being a new camper. Mother Lupa quizzes _everyone_ on our parents," she said, raising her hands. Vines shot out of the ground and wrapped around his legs. They all laughed when he fell. Dakota stepped on his chest, leaning over and studying him. "So how'd you get past the border, kid?"

A vine wrapped around his arms, binding him. He scowled at her. "I don't know. Lupa brought me here. I was in a forest and she was protecting me from a five-headed dragon."

Dakota's eyes became mere slits. "You _will_ address her as Mother Lupa, weakling. Am I understood?"

There was a snarl and a reddish-brown blur appeared in front of him. _Do not _touch_ him, Dakota_, Lupa snarled. _Roma gave me a vision about this pup, and I will not fail her. If you endanger him again, I will see to it that your writing hand is cut off._

Dakota's eyes widened and she kneeled immediately once she got off of him and gathered her wits. The vines shriveled and disappeared back into the dirt and he breathed a sigh of relief. She whispered almost reverently, "Mother Lupa. It is an honor." The others soon followed her example and the she-wolf turned to him expectantly.

He stared at her, unsure of what to do. "Fool," whispered Bobby gleefully. "You better bow down to the Mater or she might kill you where you are."

He nodded quickly, feeling stupid, and turned over onto his stomach, bending down on one knee and looking at the ground. Lupa started to make that low rumbling sound that he'd heard earlier, almost like she was laughing. _Rise, proud children of Rome. You, boy, stay. I must sort you eventually and I suppose I should do it now._

He looked up at her in surprise. "Sort?" he whispered. His question was unanswered.

Lupa threw her head back and howled twice, raking her claws in the dirt. Then she sat up and waited, until a crowd of about fifty or so kids plus ten fauns were gathered around.

Next, the she-wolf rose to her feet and started sniffing his body. Her hot, wet nose pressed to his arm many times, making him feel uncomfortable. Once, she ran over to the tents, sniffing their entrances, and she would go back to him and press her nose against his cheek.

After what seemed like forever, Lupa stepped back and sat in the dirt. _I have determined him. Ave Neptunius—hail, son of Neptune!_ Lupa barked. _Rise, my pup_. The crowd went up in a standing ovation when he stood and looked around in wonder. After a few minutes of being congratulated, the girl who had appeared in the infirmary appeared by his side.

"What happened?" he asked her. She didn't seem to hear him.

"Congratulations!" she shouted over the crowd's noise. "My name's Hazel. Mother Lupa told me to be your guide to Gladius for the week. Once you get the proper training and you're assigned to your Legion, you'll fit right in, I'm sure. What's your name again?"

"What just happened?" he yelled, louder.

She looked confused. "Mother Lupa just determined who your godly parent was, stupid. She can tell by smelling your scent, because _your_ smell is masked by your parent's distinct scent. That's what attracts the monsters that, no doubt, chased you here. She told me just now that I'm officially assigned to be your guide in this place. But in order to do that, I need to know what your name is."

He closed his eyes and told her—that much, he knew for certain. She leaned back and put her hands on her hips, smirking.

"Welcome to Camp Gladius, Percy Jackson."

* * *

**T**he next day, when everyone was back in order, Hazel was horrified to know that Percy knew next to nothing about the Roman gods. "Well, do you know anything about the Greek gods? Because the Romans are basically a much better and more organized version of the Greeks with different names. Although I hate to look at them that way," she muttered.

He blinked, wondering why he was so calm—it was as if he'd known that the Roman gods existed in life and roamed the earth, having kids every few years or so. "Percy?" Hazel pressed. "You _do_ know who the Greek gods are, right?"

Greek gods, Greek gods . . .

_Twelve thrones, built for beings the size of giants were arranged in an inverted U, just like the cabins at camp. An enormous fire crackled in the central hearth pit. The thrones were empty except for two._

_He approached the fisherman's net throne and knelt at his feet. "Father."_

"_Should you not address the master of this house, boy?" demanded the man in the dark pinstripe suit. He was sitting on a solid platinum throne and had a neatly trimmed black beard with spots of silver, like a storm cloud._

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Hazel eyed him warily. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, his voice trembling. "I don't know. I'm not supposed to be here." She raised an eyebrow.

"Of _course_ you are. This is the only safe place for people like us. You may be disoriented from wherever you came from, but if Mother Lupa's accepted you, then you're welcome here." He shook his head in response. She shrugged and leaned forward, pointing to the textbook in a language that he could only read snippets of.

"This was printed out in Latin, for easier reading on our dyslexia. Our brains are hard-wired for Latin, you see, because our immortal parents are the Roman gods. I'm guessing you also have ADHD, which all of us have too. It keeps us alive in battle. Have you ever seen monsters in your life, Percy?"

He bit his lip and closed his eyes, ransacking his mind for anything that would count as being horrific and monstrous. Suddenly, a vision flashed before his eyes again.

_The monster lunged at the girl with the dark hair in a braid and silver circlet. Miraculously, she dodged the slashing fangs and weaved through the monster's heads as she ran in their direction, practically gagging from the terrible smell of its breath. Percy pulled out a sword to help. "No!" the girl panted. "Run!"_

_The dragon snapped at her side and she cried out._

He blinked, biting his lip, and looked up to meet her gaze. "Yeah," he said, confused by all these visions that kept plaguing him. "I saw a dragon once."

Hazel laughed. "I get it. The head monster of the Challenge, right? That was a hard one. Well, for a kid of such a powerful god, I'm surprised you even lived to your age. How old are you? Sixteen?"

"Seventeen," he responded. Hazel nodded.

"Cool. I'm sixteen. But for a son of Neptune, it's _very_ rare for a monster not to attack you, especially considering your age. Russell was brought at age four to Lupa because a monster sent by Jupiter tried to kill him. Jason was brought to Mother Lupa at two because Jupiter made his mom do it for fear of Juno. He and Jason didn't really get along and he's more than happy that Jason went missing. However, most get attacked at the age of eleven. That's when I was attacked." Her face darkened. "My dad sacrificed himself to the monster in my place when I promised to reach this camp."

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said sincerely. He didn't know who Russell or Jason was, and he was still unsure of why he was here instead of somewhere else, but he wasn't going to question it yet. It was doubtful Hazel had the answers anyway.

She shook her head. "Enough with that. I don't need your sympathy." She scowled at him. He blinked, frustrated by her sudden hostility. Was it his fault that he was trying to be nice? "I need to teach you about the Roman gods and their Greek counterparts. But we don't call them by their Greek names, okay? It's all about Mater Rome. So, I'll start with the main twelve gods. First, there's Jupiter and Juno, or Zeus and Hera, who are the king and queen of the gods. Then there's Pluto and Neptune, Hades and Poseidon, who are Jupiter's brothers. Jupiter's kids were the rest of the Dii Consentes—Diana, Apollo, Mars, Minerva . . ."

* * *

**A**t the end of the day, she showed him where the Neptune tent was—the one with the green trident outlined in blue on the sides, branching off from the one in the eagle to start the circular maze. "These tents were enchanted by my mother Trivia," explained Hazel. "So they may seem small on the outside, but on the inside there's a room for every camper plus an outhouse near the back of the fauces."

"Fauces? What are those?"

"Entry hall, living room, main room, whatever you want to call it."

"Oh. Right."

He was just about to go inside when she grabbed his arm. "I forgot to tell you the schedule," she explained, taking a step back. "Tomorrow, we wake up from Mother Lupa's howls at promptly seven o' clock. We're expected to be out and ready for breakfast in ten minutes, and breakfast lasts for forty-five minutes.

"Then we have five minutes to get to our training sessions, which usually last for an hour. After that, if it's a Friday, we go to that stone circle over there," she jerked her thumb at the sandy place he'd seen earlier, "to watch the weekly gladiator fights. The fighters of that are chosen by Mother Lupa on Saturday and given a week to train. After that, we have two more training sessions and a half-hour study of Roman history and their gods. Then we have the rest of the day off as free time, but we must be in our parent's tent by 8:30."

"Or else what?" he asked.

She smiled sadly. "Mother Lupa eats you. It's happened before."

His eyes widened. "Well, then. Thanks for the memento, I guess. I'll take care to not roam the camp after 8:30."

"Laundry day's always on Wednesday, during free time." He pursed his lips and nodded, putting that in his mind for something to remember. She smiled and waved a goodbye.

"Goodnight, Percy. See you in the morning." She turned and walked away. He stared after her for a minute, until she disappeared into the tent with the fireball symbol on the sides. Muttering to himself, he lifted up his tent's own burlap flap and went inside. At the sight of what was inside, he stopped in his tracks.

There was literally _nothing_ except a crude wooden thing that he figured would be a dresser, and a mattress with a moth-eaten blanket. In the corner of the tent was a boxed-off section, which he figured was the indoor outhouse that Hazel had talked about.

"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered angrily under his breath. However, he accepted it as a Roman thing that he'd eventually get used to. When he opened the thing that was supposed to be a dresser, he saw two pairs of plain purple shirts with jeans, and a jacket. No pajamas. He'd have to sleep in the clothes on his back.

He frowned in disappointment and fingered the leather band necklace. In a swift decision, he tugged it over his head and examined the beads for the first time. One was pitch-black, with a sea-green trident in the center. The next was a pine tree on white background.

Another was of a maze, black lines painted on an orange bead. And the last was of a tall building on a dark green background. All these symbols were screwing with his head. Percy felt that he _should've_ known what they meant. However, all he could come up with, no matter how hard he tried, was blankness.

He set the bead necklace on the surface of the pseudo-dresser and sat down on the hard mattress, trying not to feel too frustrated. Eventually, he lay back on the uncomfortable mattress, wrapping the moth-eaten blanket around his feet.

The warm air of California didn't really make him feel cold, so he went without it, moving around and switching positions to find the most comfortable pose on the bumpy cot. Something uncomfortable poked into his side and he sat up, finding that it was in his jeans' back pocket.

Percy stood up from the unpleasant cot and pulled the thing out of his back pocket, lifting it up to his line of vision to examine it. He couldn't really make it out very well in the darkness, but the thing looked like a pen.

"This . . . is a pen. Why do I have a pen?" he asked himself irritably. After examining it and finding it of no use to him, he set it down on the dresser's surface, next to the bead necklace.

Later, he closed his eyes and was claimed by sleep.

"_Put you cap back on," he said to a blonde girl—the same one who had been feeding him pudding, except she was much older. "Get out!"_

_She gave him an incredulous look. "What? I'm not leaving you!"_

"_I've got a plan. I'll distract them. Use the metal spider and get back to his workshop. You _need_ to tell him what's going on."_

"_But—Percy, you'll be killed!"_

"_I'll be fine. Besides, we've got no choice. You deserve to live."_

_She glared at him fiercely. "So do you, stupid! Come with me—we can escape together." At his stubborn shake of his head, she stood up on her tiptoes and grabbed a fistful of his hair in her hand, bringing his lips down to hers. When she pulled away, she grabbed a blue New York Yankees' cap out of her pocket, gripping it so hard her knuckles were white._

"_Be careful, Seaweed Brain," she whispered before putting on the cap and disappearing._

He awoke with a start, sitting up and whispering "No!" involuntarily. He rubbed his face with a low groan. "Gods, stop terrorizing me with these visions. I want to be left in peace. Please."

_Something troubles you, pup?_

He looked up quickly and met the silvery eyes of Lupa. The she-wolf was standing at the entrance to his tent, looking at him critically. "Mother Lupa, it is an honor," he said, mimicking the actions of the other campers whenever Lupa had been around.

She barked a laugh and climbed onto his mattress, pushing his legs away with her nose for room. _You are learning who your superiors are. Good. Now what are these visions that you speak of?_

"You . . . care?"

She sneered, but didn't answer. _Tell me what these visions that haunt you are._

"I—I don't know what you're talking about."

Lupa growled and stood on his mattress, her nose touching his menacingly. _Do not lie to _me_, pup! I can smell your fear, your honesty and untruth, and the scent of your parent. My nose is more powerful than you know. Now, tell me what these things that have bothered you the entire day are._

He leaned away from her, fear gripping him again. "I've been getting visions and all of them include me. They're all so _real_, too, like they actually occurred some point in my life. It frustrates me, because I get these from a single word or phrase or something and I don't know what happened before I woke up to see you protecting me from that dragon thing—thanks for that, by the way."

She nodded and lay down, resting her head on her paws and staring at him expectantly. He felt pretty stupid spilling his guts to a wolf, but something about her gaze made him think that he would regret it if he didn't. To be honest, she intimidated him greatly.

"They appear out of nowhere and I'm in a daze during it, apparently. It's aggravating and wearisome—they're unable to be reached by my mind. I mean, everything about this camp confuses me. I was expecting something different when you showed me Gladius, to be honest, and it confused me on why I was expecting something different, since I've never been here before in my life."

Lupa cocked her head to the side. _You are suffering from amnesia?_

"I—I don't know. Anything. That's the problem."

_You_ are_ suffering from amnesia. It seems to me that your memories are showing themselves to you, trying to give you insight on your past, Percy Jackson. You are strong enough to deal with it. I felt that when I saw you lying unconscious among the forestry. If it hadn't been for my promise to Roma I would've chosen to protect you anyway. Providing you didn't irritate me, of course._

He laughed softly. "Let me guess—you would eat me if I did?"

_I've done worse_. She stood up again and licked his cheek. _Be strong, pup. For the trials that you are about to face will require everything that Gladius will teach you._

He nodded uncertainly and she walked off the mattress, onto the dirt floor. "Wait—Mother Lupa. Are all the tents this, um, unfurnished?"

Lupa looked around and barked a laugh. _Prove your worth to Gladius, pup, and your living conditions will gradually increase in quality. This is the state of every room for all campers when they first arrive._

"Right. How do I, um, fix the quality?"

_Win battles. Survive Challenges. Conquer and show your usefulness to me. Weakness is not an option here, nor is it tolerated._ She paused at the tent flap and looked back at him. _This conversation never happened._

He nodded. "Of course."

She looked back at the burlap flap and disappeared back into the night. He stared after her before lying back down on the mattress. Thirty minutes later, he was claimed by a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

**P**ercy woke up with a start, rolling over and falling out of the mattress thing, listening to the second piercing howl that followed the one that had awakened him. Remembering Hazel's words, he changed into the fresh set of clothes and emerged from the tent, his eyes drawn to the cliff, where Lupa was standing, watching him.

He looked away from the wolf and glanced around, wondering where he should go for breakfast. "Looking for the dining hall?" an amused voice asked. He turned around to see a guy watching him carefully. He nodded, sheepish, and the boy nodded as if he was expecting it. "I figured. You're the new guy, right? Mm. I'm Russell Murphy, son of Pluto. Follow me."

_So this is the Russell that Hazel was talking about_, he thought. Russell led Percy down a path that cut through the circle of tents to a large stone building that he hadn't seen when he first arrived to Gladius. "There's breakfast inside. You know the schedule?"

Percy nodded and looked at the top of the building. "That has a roof, right?"

"Yeah. It's flat stone though, so you can't see it."

"But it isn't supposed to rain here, is it?"

He looked at Percy and raised an eyebrow. "We have magical boundaries to prevent monsters from getting inside, unless Mother Lupa summons them for the Challenge or the weekly battles, but it doesn't stop the weather. She thinks it'll help us with our endurance and stamina." He smiled. "What, you don't like getting wet every once and a while?"

Percy looked up at the cloudless sky and then back at his feet. "No, that's not it," he muttered. "I don't know why I was thinking that the weather would be stopped here. Sorry."

Russell narrowed his eyes and shrugged. "Whatever. Eat up, 'cause you'll need it. The new kids are always pushed to their limits the first day." He grinned at the inside joke and turned around, walking away and leaving Percy alone.

"You're not eating?" he called after Russell.

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "No. Breakfast isn't my thing."

Percy swallowed and nodded. When he entered the building, there were three rows of tables, all occupied. He looked to his left, where another line of tables was placed, filled with food. Hazel appeared at his side, beaming.

"Decided to join us for breakfast, I see! I'm sorry I didn't show you where the dining hall was, but I'm glad that Russell showed you the place. Grab a plate and eat as much as you want, but not too much. It gives you energy, after all. Oh, and for the drinks, just grab an empty cup and tell it what you want. Mother Lupa and my mom are on very good terms." She winked.

When their plates were full, she led him over to a brazier. "This is where we sacrifice the food that looks the tastiest," she whispered, nodding at a nine-year-old girl wearing a gold-trimmed chiton and matching headscarf.

"Why?" he whispered back.

"To give our thanks to our parents for leading us here, bestowing their gifts to us, the like. Apparently, the gods enjoy the smell the burning food gives off. Follow my example."

She picked up a fat orange slice and tossed it into the fire, murmuring, "For Mother Lupa and the goddess Trivia." She stepped back and waited for him expectantly. He stepped forward and picked up a ripe banana, tossing it into the fire.

"To all of the gods and Mother Lupa," he said. His brow furrowed as the flames got a little brighter and he could smell it—fresh cookies, peppermint and cinnamon. Now he didn't really blame the gods for wanting a portion of the meal, just so that they could smell the burnt offerings.

The girl in the gold-trimmed chiton smiled and nodded at Percy, and Hazel led him back to a table. "Wait, don't we have our own tables for our respective tents or something?"

Everyone else at the table snickered. "No, not at all. Why?" Dakota replied, staring at him frostily.

"Dunno," he mumbled under his breath, looking at the cup. "Um, blue Coke, please. Hazel, who was that girl in the dress?"

"A Vestal Virgin, a follower of Vesta. That's my guess, because Mother Lupa—" she stopped mid-sentence. Percy stopped eating his scrambled eggs and looked up in bewilderment.

Lupa had entered the building. Everyone went quiet, their eyes on her. She bared her teeth in a sadistic smile. _Eat up, sons and daughters of Rome! For today is the first day at Gladius for the Son of Neptune._

Everyone laughed and dug into their meal. Some clapped his back and wished him luck. Percy followed their example, feeling like he should've been somewhere else the whole time and wondering just what was in store for him.

* * *

**H**is first training session was with the mysterious girl known as Reyna Green, daughter of Bacchus. The session was to take place in the second low stone circle that he had seen yesterday, and across from it was a similar place filled with targets. The one that he was training in, according to Reyna, was the Melee Arena. The one across from the Melee Arena was the Archery Arena.

The Melee Arena had straw dummies scattered everywhere as obstacles. Reyna was grinning at him. "So?" she pressed, unsheathing a dagger. "Where's your sword?"

"I—I, uh, didn't bring one?"

She laughed, violet eyes glittering. "You're _supposed_ to bring your own, Percy. What, did you think we'd provide them for you like a pampered child?"

He gaped at the dagger. "You're not seriously going to attack an unarmed person, are you?"

Reyna rolled her eyes. "I can't let you go get your sword, Percy; you're supposed to know better. Did the Vulcan tent even _make_ you one yet?"

She slashed and he ran behind a dummy, wincing as the poor thing's head got cut off. "Well . . . no. I didn't know I had to ask."

She sighed. "You're an idiot. Well, it'll be great practice. Now, man up and fight me!"

She rounded the dummy and struck again. He made an odd noise in the back of his throat and darted away. Abruptly, there was a light weight in his front pocket that hadn't been there a minute ago. He looked down to see the pen that he'd placed on the dresser's sitting there, attached to the hem of his jeans' pocket by its cap.

He picked the pen up in confusion and stared at it. "I thought I put this on the dresser?" he asked himself, too quietly to be heard. Reyna shouted to get his attention and he ducked just in time. She grabbed the pen out of his hands and laughed.

"It's weak and desperate, Jackson, but it's a start. Too bad I can slice it in half. Watch." She placed the dagger's blade against the surface of the pen and pressed it, expecting the blade to cut through the pen's plastic easily.

Instead, the blade slipped upwards and peeled the cap off of the pen. Immediately, the ballpoint morphed into a large bronze sword. Reyna shrieked. She was so surprised by this that she actually _dropped_ it. Percy saw his chance and lunged for the weapon, grabbing it quickly before she could. He grinned and got to his feet, facing her with the sword in his hand. "Can we start over?"

Reyna blinked in shock. "Where—how—_what_?"

He shrugged and glanced at the sword with new respect. Inscribed on the hilt was the name Anaklusmos—_Riptide_, he translated easily. Then he looked back up at Reyna. "Are you going to fight me now or can I just walk away?"

She narrowed her mauve eyes and raised her hand. Vines with purple grapes shot out of the ground and wrapped around Percy's legs, keeping him still for all of five seconds. He swung Riptide at the vines just as she lunged. He stepped aside as soon as the vines melted away, leaving his feet wet, and ducked away from her blade.

Percy brought his arm up and kept her sword arm away from his face. His other hand curled up into a fist and punched her in the gut. She staggered back with a smile on her face. "That's the spirit!" she cheered, catching her breath and going after him again.

He parried her strike and they circled. Finally, he feinted to the left and went for a strike to the face, hitting her with the hilt of his blade. She fell to the ground and he held Riptide's tip to her throat.

"I yield," she said before he could demand it of her. "You're quite the talented swordsman, Percy. In the fights, I won't be so lax to you. Mother Lupa probably wouldn't like me even _trying_ to be soft on you. However, I'm sure we've got time for one more battle. You feel up to it?"

He helped her up and nodded. "Sure. Now that I won't be running away, bring it on."

It was in the middle of their fight that Percy first heard the voice.

_Perrrrrrcy!_ it bleated. _I _finally_ found you! Except, you know, I can't really track you but I found that you're alive nonetheless. This is good. This is very good._

He stopped pressing Reyna and blinked. _Oh my gods. I'm going crazy. There's a voice in my head!_

_But, Perrrcy! You don't remember? We made an empathy link when you rescued me from the Sea of Monsters with Annabeth and Tyson._

_Annabeth and Tyson—? Who are they? _he couldn't help asking. The voice was annoyingly familiar, but he just couldn't place his finger on who it belonged to. The feeling was something that was pissing him off more and more often. When the voice spoke again, its tone was depressed.

_Oh, gods. This was worse than I thought. Tell me where you are, Percy. We're all so worried about you._

_Look, stop playing with my mind. I don't know who you are, but get out of my head. I'm in the middle of a fight here. _

_A fight? Are they your enemies?_

_What? No. I'm training with Reyna. Get out of my head!_

_Training with Reyna? Who's Reyna? Oh, man. I've gotta tell Chiron. . . . _The voice faded and didn't speak again. Percy just noticed what was happening when Reyna beat his sword away and lifted up her foot, kicking him violently in the chest. He fell to the ground, landing on his back, and swallowed as the golden blade's tip touched his throat.

"I loved that movie and couldn't resist. I'd say I was sorry, but I'm not too keen on lying. Anyway. You yield?" Her voice was smug, and she brushed black bangs out of her eyes.

"No." His grip tightened on Riptide and he knocked the knife away, tripping her in the process. He used this to his advantage by rolling aside and getting up. She rolled her eyes and picked up her knife, attacking him again and keeping him on the defense.

Finally, his blade hit the hilt of Reyna's dagger and he got an idea. He twisted, throwing all of his weight in a downward thrust. The dagger was wrenched from her hand and fell into the grass, far away. He pointed his sword at her neck. Both of them were breathing hard. "Yield."

"I yield," she said, eyes shining. When he lowered the sword, she gushed, "My gods, Percy, _where_ did you learn to _do_ that? That's awesome! I've never seen it before! You _have_ to tell me so that I can teach the other campers."

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I—I don't really know?"

"Show me that again!" She retrieved her dagger and held it up. "In slow motion."

Before he could, however, there was a rough, warning bark. Both campers met the silver eyes of Lupa. Reyna's shoulders slumped when she checked her digital watch. "Yeah, it's time for the next training block anyway. Good fight, Percy."

"Agreed. You're pretty strong for a fifteen-year-old."

She smiled and shook his hand. "Thanks."

When Percy retired to his tent for the night, exhausted by all the determination and pressure that Lupa and the trainers had put on him earlier, he was pleasantly surprised to see that the mattress had changed from a gray, lumpy _thing_ to a white, comfortable bed. The two single objects in his tent were no longer in the main room—it was separate. His blanket was a comforter, not a moth-eaten piece of cloth that was only held together by a few stitches. He had two extra pairs of clothes in his drawer.

"Sweet," he muttered to himself.

_I can get used to this_, he thought, falling asleep as soon as he hit the mattress.

* * *

**C**lose to two months later, Percy had grown in ranks, tent luxury and his friendship with Hazel, Reyna, Russell and the other campers. He knew almost everything there was to know about Camp Gladius—except for what the Challenge was—and his memories were appearing less and less. He was enjoying camp life and the year was almost over.

On Thursday, in August, he and Hazel had decided to use their free time by playing twenty questions on the wooden dock that went above the lake. She got to go first after a fierce game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

"Okay, first of all, what's your favorite part about camp?"

"Uh, probably coming to my tent every two weeks to find it upgraded in quality. I remember the first mattress . . . ugh, it felt like it was made of rocks and the blanket was terrible." She snickered at his grimace. "Okay, my turn now. What's that thing on your arm? It looks like a bar code or something."

"What, this?" She turned her arm over to expose five black inked markings. Above the barcode were the letters SPQR and above that was an eagle. "Oh, these are tattoos to show how many years we've survived Gladius. How old we are when we're presented to the Wolf House depends—like I said before, I was eleven. Then she takes us to the fauns to be raised, but only if we're really really young like Russell was. When she thinks we're ready, she tests us to see if we're pups or food. After the Challenge this month, we all get the next line of our tattoos to mark our survival. Then we go home with our mortal parent or stay here for the rest of the year. I'm a full-round camper."

"So am I." Percy looked at the dock, wondering just how many demigods hadn't passed Lupa's _test_. "Okay, your turn."

She frowned and leaned forward, taking off her shoes and socks to dip her feet in the lake. "Will you come see my gladiator fight on Friday?"

"Excuse me?" He glanced at her, pursing his lips. "Gladiator fights?"

She nodded and smiled. "That's what I've been training so hard for, you see. I'm facing Bobby. And then the Challenge is on Saturday . . ."

"Where is it? The gladiator fight, I mean?"

"Oh, it's that low circle outlined by pebbles in the valley. I think you saw it when Mother Lupa first brought you here in June. You've never attended one, but the fights are always optional to see. If you don't fight your own battle because you're scared, Mother Lupa brings you outside Gladius' borders and summons monsters to eat you."

He narrowed his eyes. "Mother Lupa doesn't seem to have any qualms about killing people, does she?"

She shrugged. "It's in her nature. We're not supposed to be weak, remember? We're the Romans, the mightiest of all the ancient civilizations. We conquered the known world of the time, and the envy of the universe. We were—_are_—the greatest warriors, the best lovers, the most prosperous people; trained to never feel pain and _definitely_ not show weakness. So . . . I guess I can forgive her for being a little harsh. Anyway, can you go see my gladiator fight or not?"

He nodded slowly, remembering Hazel's words: _After that, if it's a Friday, we go to that stone circle over there to watch the weekly gladiator fights_.

"Thanks. It'll mean a lot to me. Alright, you answered my main question, so it's your turn, Jackson." She nudged him playfully and he smirked.

"What's this Challenge thing that everyone's been talking about lately?" he asked, recalling the gleeful chats during dinner and Hazel's dismissive comment about it.

"Oh, the Challenge? It's this bimonthly thing that Mother Lupa has us do. It's entirely optional, and incredibly dangerous, but if you survive the Challenge then you're exempted during the gladiator fights—meaning if you lose and fought badly, she can't tell the winner to kill you. There's a ton of monsters that she summons the day before, and you have to tell her at breakfast the next day that you're participating.

"And the head monster is always a dragon of some sort with weaknesses and strengths. Everyone must help kill it in order to get out of the forest alive. Once all the participators are in there, Mom seals the borders of the forest so that you can't get out. It's really fun, I swear, as long as you don't get killed."

Her enthusiasm was contagious. He found himself grinning. "Great. Do the campers have to kill each other?" Gods, he hoped not.

"No! The _monsters_ try to do that. I swear, sometimes you're such an idiot. We have to work together to live. Of course, we all start out alone, but once the Challenge begins we can search out alliances. No more than three people per group, though. We're only allowed one weapon and any powers we inherited from our godly parents. My question is—will you participate in the Challenge?"

Percy raised an eyebrow. "I think I will. My turn. As a daughter of Trivia, what is the extent of your magical powers?"

Hazel smiled. "I can produce fire out of thin air and do a very weak arcane shield for my defense, as fire is an offensive element. I have two sisters and three brothers in the Trivia tent—Carla and Dwayne, who are twins, can control water and earth respectively, and use those for their spells. They can't possess arcane defenses, because earth and water are the two defensive elements.

"The others use arcane for their magic. We're all restricted to those boundaries that Mom sets out for us while she's pregnant with us. Of course, she sometimes chooses _not_ to gift her child with the use of magic and they can only enchant things with a spell. That's useful, though, because enchanted weapons have greater use for things. I don't know much about that type of magic because I've never seen a kid of Trivia's that doesn't have use of arcane or elementary magic. Does that answer your question?"

He nodded. She bit her lip. "Here, I'll show you what an arcane shield looks like." She spread her hands and muttered something unintelligible. After a few seconds, a transparent purple circle appeared between her hands and widened until it was covering the whole front of her body. Then she muttered something else and it vanished.

"That was awesome. You don't use, like, wands or anything?"

She gave him an incredulous look that clearly said, _You're an idiot_. "Does it _look_ like I just used a wand, Percy? We don't need to channel our power through a stick, contrary to popular belief. Our hands are perfectly suitable. But thank you. What's your favorite type of food?"

"Anything that tastes good and is blue," he blurted automatically. She snickered at his response, tucking a loose strand of brown hair behind her ear.

"Why blue?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "I probably liked it before my amnesia."

"Well, I'm sure you had a good reason."

"Yeah. What's your favorite color?"

She grinned shyly and looked at him before staring at the surface of the lake. "Green." There was a pause before she kicked the water and spoke again. "Okay, my turn. Have you ever taken anyone underwater, son of Neptune?"

Percy paused. "No, not that I can remember. Why?"

There was a few tense seconds of silence before Hazel said, "I was wondering. If you don't have any problems with it . . . could you take me underwater? I mean, I've always wanted to see what went down underneath there."

He nodded slowly. "Sure, Hazel." He eased into the lake, expecting to be drenched immediately. Instead, he felt a cool tingling, but remained dry. He craned his head back to grin at her. "This is _sweet_. Come on." When he was fully in the water, he reached out his hand.

There was a small, hitched gasp behind them. Hazel apparently didn't seem to hear it and stayed silent. Percy looked around Hazel to see who had made the noise and saw the blonde girl who'd starred in many of his dreams. She was watching him with a hand covering her mouth, her eyes glazed. Her other hand held a limp, dripping green hose. She was wearing an orange shirt and seemed to be behind a building.

He refocused on Hazel, who closed her eyes and jumped in. _Dry Hazel is dry, Dad, please_. She came up from the lakeside, hair still dry, and smiled brightly. "Ready?" he asked her teasingly.

She nodded. "It's unusual, since I use fire for everything, so . . . don't blame me if I get a little squeamish, okay?" He nodded. "Thanks. Let's go!"

He glanced at the girl from the corner of his eye, who was watching this all in horror. She made a choking sob-like sound again and waved her hand at him, breaking the mist and instantly disappearing. Percy shook his head and looked back at Hazel, who had her eyebrow raised.

He grabbed her hand and proceeded her to show her everything underwater in the lake, surrounding them in a small air bubble. The hug she gave him after was worth it.

He didn't know who the blonde girl that kept showing up everywhere was, and he didn't want to know. He was fine here with Hazel and Gladius.

So why did it bother him so much?

* * *

_Holy crap, are you done with Part I? You read it all the way? I LOVE YOU. REALLY. :D This was completed for __**Bookaholic711's Project PULL challenge**__; check out her profile for more information._


	2. · Part II ·

_**Title:**__ Camp Gladius - Part II_

_**Characters/Pairing:**__ Hazel/Percy, some Percabeth. (if you squint really hard.)_

_**Warning/Spoilers:**__ Contains _The Lost Hero_ spoilers. Happens during the events of said book. Some minor swearing on Bobby's part._

_**A/N:**__ Essentially, the Challenge and the introduction of the Seekers. Oh. And my guess is that this FF will end at four chapters. *scowls at fanfiction* There are just too many things to write for this. Damn. Also, this is officially AU. Since, you know, the first chapter of the Son of Neptune came out. XD Beta'd by **Lord Jace**. Hope this was worth the wait. :)_

_(Oh. And I'm sorry I suck at fight scenes. You're more than welcome to ignore them. :P)_

_**Dedication:**__ For Musa. This is my . . . erm, early/late birthday gift to you since Christmas is way past and all. _

* * *

**· Part II ·**

* * *

**T**he next day, he was just in time to see the gladiator fights. Reyna had led him by hand after their training block, practically running, and almost the entire camp was there. Percy examined the sandy circle and pointed to the stick poking out of the ground in the far corner. "What's that?" he whispered to Reyna.

She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and stared at the place he was pointing to. "Oh. That's what we use for killing the losers."

Percy went cold. "You _kill the losers_?" _No wonder I don't attend these often_, he thought to himself.

She blushed at her double entendre. "No! Well, only if Mother Lupa decrees it. She's doesn't do it that often. I've been here since I was ten, and she hasn't ordered someone to kill the loser at all. Russell's been here longer than me, and I don't think he's witnessed a gladiator death."

He calmed down a bit. "Oh." Hazel was talking to another girl with a horse neck water bag hanging at her side—it must've been Carla, her half-sister. For her part, Hazel looked calm and collected. Bobby was getting a back massage and raucous encouragement on the other side of the circle from his tent mates.

As it got darker, two people lit matches and tossed them into the piles of wood in front of them. They then lit all of the torches around the circle. Everyone in the crowd turned to Lupa from some unseen signal. The she-wolf was standing behind a stone circle placed between the two bonfires.

She stepped up on the stone podium and howled. _Proud sons and daughters of Rome!_ she exclaimed. _Welcome to the fight for honor between the daughter of Trivia, Hazel Scott, and the son of Mars, Bobby Garcia. I trust that they will make me proud._

Hazel and Bobby simultaneously bowed. Reyna leaned over to whisper in Percy's ear, "Bobby's a really good fighter, and he's the son of Mars. Hazel's also a very talented fire magician. It should be an even fight." She grinned eagerly. "Are you betting on anyone? My money's on Bobby."

"Hazel," he said flatly.

Lupa looked back up at the sky proudly. _Good. I will watch your battle carefully. Any magical item gifted to you by your godly parent is tolerated. You can play dirty, you can maim as long as it is not fatal. You can only call for one five-minute break. Carla will act as medic afterwards. You know the rules—do not step past the boundaries, do not kill unless I give the command, fight well, and make me proud to be your Mother Wolf. Begin at my howl._

"Yes, Mother Lupa," Hazel and Bobby said automatically, walking to the opposite ends of the circle. Lupa studied the combatants before arching her head back and letting out a chilling howl.

"I can't believe you guys bet on the fights," Percy mumbled. The twin fires beside Lupa roared, and the battle begun.

Hazel cracked her neck and stepped inside the circle, twirling her staff behind her. Bobby grinned and raised his hand, beckoning to her with two fingers. "Come get some," he leered.

Hazel spun around with her staff outstretched. Percy shrank back into the person behind him as fire erupted from the wood, enveloping the duel in a ring of flame.

"Play with fire, and you get burned."

Percy covered his eyes, uncomfortable with the sudden heat. Reyna noticed this and elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't be a coward, this is the best part!"

There was a sound of bone cracking, and a screeching metallic sound. He didn't want to know what had just happened. It was only when Reyna gasped "Knock her dead, Bobby! Do it!" that he looked up.

Hazel and Bobby were in a deadlock, staff against sword. Bobby glanced up and sent a smirk Reyna's way, and Percy got the chilling feeling that he had heard her over the roar of the flames.

Hazel had heard her, too. When he tried to kick out her legs from underneath her, she broke away from the deadlock and swerved behind him. He was fast, though, and dropped to the ground, swinging his leg around. She tripped and fell on the sand, wincing. Bobby stood up and grabbed her staff, flinging it behind him. He pointed his sword point at her throat. "Yield!" he shouted over the roar of the flames.

The Mars side of the crowd stood up and cheered Bobby on. So did Reyna. Percy could see Carla biting her nails anxiously. He, too, could not take his eyes off of Hazel. What was she going to do?

He poked her neck with the sword point. "Yield!" he ordered.

She smiled. "Never."

The girls erupted into cheers as she raised her leg and kicked him as hard as she could in the groin. Percy winced at the expression on Bobby's face. The son of Mars doubled over, and Hazel crawled underneath his legs, getting to her feet and making a mad dash for her staff. She picked it up and smiled, turning back and tackling him to the ground.

Percy elbowed Reyna in the ribs, delighted to see that she was scowling. "So how much do you owe me?" he muttered. Hazel grabbed Bobby's sword and tossed it behind her, pointing the staff at his neck.

"Yield. Do it. _Now_."

Bobby growled at her and raised his hand up. She was quick and batted it aside, kneeling on his arms and straddling him. "I _told you to yield_."

"I . . . I yield," he spat. Lupa howled at the moon. There was a rush of wind as the twin bonfires beside the she-wolf twisted, then vanished, leaving charred wood behind.

Hazel held up her palm, making the fire encircling the sandy circle move closer to her until she was enveloped in it. Then it vanished. Percy blinked, rubbing his eyes at the sight. The only light remaining were the torches and the moon. Once again, everyone had their eyes on the she-wolf expectantly.

Lupa jumped down to the single dirt part of the grassy arena and studied the fearful Bobby, leaning down to sniff him. Then she whined and licked his cheek. _He will live. You have made me proud, Son of Mars._

Hazel smiled and buried the sword in the ground next to his head. Then she got up and helped him stand, clapping him on the back. "Good fight, my friend."

"Same here, but now I'm going to go ask Carla for an ice pack," Bobby said, wincing. "I wasn't expecting you to kick that hard—or kick me at all."

Hazel laughed. "Anything to win, right?"

* * *

**D**uring the night, he clutched the comforter tighter around his body as he listened to the unsettling howls of Lupa. Hazel had told him during their free time—he found to enjoy using it in her company more and more often—that it was to be expected, as it was just the she-wolf summoning the monsters to fill the forest and seal them in for the Challenge.

Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive at what was going to happen the next morning.

* * *

**I**t was Saturday at breakfast. A total of seven campers had gone up to Lupa to notify her that they were participating in the last Challenge of the summer. Hazel stuffed the remaining parts of her hash brown in her mouth and swallowed, looking at Percy expectantly. "You done yet?"

He finished off the blue Coke and nodded at her, grinning. "Let's do this."

She smiled and grabbed his wrist. The campers cheered their support as they made their way to Lupa. "Mother Lupa," they greeted, bowing. Lupa nodded in return.

_Have you come to register your participation_? she asked, nosing a pen and paper filled with the names of the participants forward.

Hazel nodded and grabbed the pen, writing neatly _Hazel Scott, Trivia_ underneath the latest one—_Sandra Kennedy, Minerva_. Then she straightened and handed the pen to Percy, who wrote _Percy Jackson, Neptune_.

Lupa chuckled. _It is done. I will see you after breakfast to show you off on the last Challenge of the summer_. She did her wolfish grin, and Percy saw Hazel shiver just slightly. _Remember, you are of no use to the world dead._

Hazel nodded again. "Of course, Mother Lupa." She grabbed Percy's wrist again and led the way back to their seats. Once they were sitting down, she gushed, "I'm so excited for this Challenge! Percy, we need to find each other immediately to form an alliance, and then find that Minerva girl or an archer. Then we'd be an unstoppable trio—mage, warrior and archer together? _Every_ monster would leave us alone."

He nodded. "Right. Explain this all-must-kill-the-head-monster thing to me, please."

Bobby leaned forward, taking a bite out of his apple. He chewed thoughtfully and then spoke, showering Percy in wet fruit chunks. "Basically, there's only this small space for the head monster at first. We never know what it's going to be, but in all my Challenges, it's always been some kind of dragon. The borders of its realm are sealed by Trivia so that in order to enter it, all the monsters summoned to the forest must first be killed. When every monster's dead, then it gets so weak that you can get through it."

Percy pursed his lips. "Okay."

"Once you get in, there's a conch horn that's hanging by a leather band off of this wooden pole, right? Get that and then blow into it, as loud as you can. Not only will it make the shield fall completely, but it'll lead the other participants to the head monster, and we all have to work together to kill it. Everyone has to wound it first in order for its temporary immortality to be lifted, and then someone can go all-out Mars and kill it themselves."

"Is that all?"

Bobby leaned forward, his expression somber. "Be on your guard. Even the smallest of things can be the deadly." His face darkened from some memory. "That's what happened to Liz."

He glanced at Hazel. "Do I want to know who Liz is?" he murmured in her ear.

She whispered back, "Bobby's first and last girlfriend, the only daughter of Victory. She ate the wrong berries during the Challenge in February and died from the poison. He hasn't recovered since."

"I see."

Another person leaned forward. They were bald and half of their face was a shining, angry red. Their left eye was closed but the single blue eye looked at him fiercely. "Don't be stupid, Jackson."

He swallowed. "What—what happened to you?"

They snorted angrily. "I charged a dragon. It burned off half of my face, made sure my hair couldn't grow again, and I had to get my leg and some of my fingers amputated. The Vulcan tent made me some prosthetic replacements, thank the gods, but I can't hold anything without feeling extreme pain and I can only see out of this eye. Jackson, the dragons are not to be underestimated. Learn from my mistakes."

"Thank you, Carmen," Hazel said. Everything was strangely quiet after the girl's warning.

He looked away from her disfigured face. "Okay. I'll . . . I'll remember that."

* * *

**T**oo soon, breakfast was over and the campers filed out of the hall to go to the forest, where Lupa was already waiting. There were a total of ten high foam walls on wheels marked with the numbers one through nine in bold, black print, which Percy found a bit odd.

_Challengers! To your positions!_ Lupa barked.

Percy looked at Hazel in confusion. "Go behind the number you signed up as. Like I'm Number Eight because I was the eighth person to sign up for the Challenge. So you're Number Nine. Get behind that foam wall." She pushed him lightly. "See you in the Challenge field. Good luck, son of Neptune."

He nodded and went behind the wall that bore the 10. Then he turned to face the she-wolf, who was prowling in front of every Challenger.

_You know the rules, pups_, she said, pacing in front of them. _There is food. There is water. There are poisonous things, and there are monsters who will try to kill you. You cannot leave the forest once you are in it. Remember all that I and the Legion warriors have taught you. Should you survive the Challenge, you will be exempt from being killed for losing a gladiator battle. Newcomers will be judged for their Legion after the Challenge is complete. Beware the tricks of the forest. Start on my howl._

Percy swallowed hard and turned back to the woods. There was a pause, and then Lupa's piercing yowl filled the air. At once, a small oval appeared and enlarged in front of Percy, big enough for him to fit in. He gripped Riptide and ran into the forest, looking over his shoulder to see the oval disappear.

Two crystal walls were on either side of him, leading him to . . . someplace. He didn't know where. He felt like he was in a maze. Once he reached the maze's desired location, the walls disappeared and he was alone.

"She said there was water," he muttered under his breath, looking around. "I need to find water first."

He went right, looking around carefully as he did so. He was sure that there was a river here _somewhere_. He looked for what seemed like forever, and didn't come around a single monster. Finally, he heard the faint gurgling of a stream and smiled, grabbing the canteen that Carla Anderson had discreetly given to all the participators.

Lupa either didn't notice or didn't care—they were allowed to only bring anything they wore, after all. He had Riptide in its scabbard. As he'd lost the cap to the pen form when he'd first trained with Reyna, and had never found it again, the Vulcan cabin made him a scabbard on Lupa's orders.

He walked through the underbrush and grinned. There, in front of him, was a roaring river with clear water, and abutting it were several bushes filled with red and blue berries. He rushed forward, pulling the jug over his head and knelt at the riverside. Before he could dip the canteen in the water, though, something made him stop.

Lupa's voice echoed in his head. _There are poisonous things._

Did that include the water, too? Gods, he hoped not. "Maybe," he muttered to himself, "as a son of Neptune, I can check the water purity level or something." He uncurled his palm and stuck it in the water, closing his eyes.

Nothing happened.

Percy didn't know if that was a good thing or not. "Whatever. I'll just take my chances," he said, dipping his canteen into the river. When he was sure that it was full, he took it out and capped it, putting it back over his head and letting it dangle from his side. Then he turned to the berries and gasped.

Next to the bushes was a skeleton, a handful of red berries in its hand. He hadn't even noticed it when he arrived.

A branch behind him snapped. He grabbed Riptide and turned around, looking around warily. Nothing moved and he stood up, approaching the underbrush. "Who's there—?"

Hazel appeared from the underbrush, running like there were angry German Shepherds on her heels. "_Run_!" she gasped, not pausing to look behind her. He got up and she slammed into him, taking both of them down to the forest floor. She rolled away and was on her feet in seconds. "Shit, Percy, _run!_"

She grabbed his wrist, pulling him desperately. "Wait, what's going on?" he asked when she tried to pull him across the river. She swore again and ran into the water, then looked back at the forest. The water touched her chin.

"Part the river!" she shrieked. "Do it now!"

"Why—" There was a loud roar, cutting him off. He looked back at the forest's underbrush and stepped in, parting the river and running across with Hazel. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Monster," she gasped, catching her breath and wringing out her shirt. "Didn't even know it was there. Pounced on me. Immune to fire magic. I think—I'm hyperventilating."

"Shh, it's okay, just catch your breath. What did it look like?"

Just then, the underbrush on the other side of the river crashed and rustled. A golden animal appeared and snarled, stalking towards the two like they were prey. Hazel screamed. Percy froze at the sight of the lion and a memory hit him.

_It was the size of a pickup truck, with golden glittering fur and silver claws. It roared so loudly it parted his hair, and its fangs gleamed like stainless steel. "The Nemean Lion," someone said behind him. "Don't. Move."_

"Oh, gods," he whispered. "Not _again_."

The lion growled so loudly it made the river's surface ripple. Then it crouched down and pounced. Percy lifted his hand and the water followed its movement, curling up like a title wave and slamming into the lion's face.

It landed on the other side of the river, a soggy heap. "Aim for its mouth!" he told Hazel, getting up and running into the river, grabbing Riptide to hold it off. "That's the weak spot!"

"How do you know?" she asked, getting up and catching her breath.

"I just do. Trust me, Hazel."

"What makes you think I don't?" she responded, running behind a tree.

The lion growled and shook its coat like it was a dog. Water droplets splashed everywhere, and the animal snarled. It turned around and lunged for Percy. He sidestepped it and willed the water to wrap the animal up like a cocoon. While it was distracted, he waded through the river to the other side. He darted over to the bush with redberries and grabbed a handful of the fruit. He didn't know which ones were the poisonous ones, but he'd have to take a chance.

The lion was out of the cocoon and was swimming across the river, towards Hazel, who was waiting for his signal. Her palms were on fire and she was trembling.

"Hey!" Percy shouted. He grabbed Riptide in his free hand and threw it at the animal like a javelin. It bounced off the back of its head, grabbing its attention. The lion turned around and snarled, opening its mouth for a large roar. Percy took his chance and threw a handful of berries into its mouth. The lion's eyes widened and it gagged like a cat with a hairball. He was getting a sense of déjà vu. Percy grabbed more berries and tossed them in, ecstatic that he had a relatively good aim.

The lion choked down the berries and glared at him. Before it closed its mouth, however, there was a whizzing sound and a single golden arrow sprouted from the maw of the animal.

Hazel launched fireballs at the cat as more arrows sprouted from its mouth. Finally, the lion collapsed in the river and did not move again. Hazel grabbed the mane and pulled it out of the river to her side, gasping when the lion's body melted away to leave a dry, golden trench fur coat.

A girl dropped down to the ground from the tree and brushed off her jeans. Percy hadn't even realized she was there until she'd killed the lion. Gwendolyn Morrison looked up and smiled. "Hey there. I was running from that thing, too, and decided the trees were my best chance of living. Looking for an archer to complete this little group of yours?"

Hazel and Percy exchanged a glance. "Sure. It wouldn't hurt our chances of survival," said Hazel from the other side of the river. "Percy, do you think you could, uh, part the river again?"

"Sure. No problem."

When she was over on their side safely, she enveloped Gwendolyn in a hug after giving the coat to her. Then she flopped down onto the ground, breathing hard. "Sorry, I'm still recovering from hyperventilating. Welcome. Let's hope we can live through this, yeah?"

Gwendolyn smirked, staring at the coat blankly. "Oh, yeah. Archer, mage and warrior. We're unstoppable. Mother Lupa would be proud. So . . . are the redberries poisonous?" She gestured to the bushes sitting in clumps by the river. Percy looked over at the skeleton and swallowed.

"I'd take a guess. I'm not gonna test it. As for the coat, take it. It's yours since you were the one that killed it."

Gwendolyn shrugged it on without complaint and freed her hair. "So what now?"

He scratched the back of his neck. "Well, what did you do?"

She smiled and shouldered her bow. "This is my first time participating in the Challenge."

They looked at Hazel, who suddenly took great interest in her hands. "Well . . . I kind of just hung out somewhere until all the monsters were dead and it was time to take on the head monster," she said, blushing.

Percy snickered and Gwendolyn's jaw dropped. "That—that's cowardice!" she accused.

"No, it isn't. It's wisdom. She's preserving her life by staying in one place until the head monster was ready to be taken on. The whole point of this Challenge is to work together and stay alive, right? She upheld both parts of the bargain. I don't think you should be accusing her of cowardice, Gwendolyn," he corrected sternly. Gwendolyn widened her eyes at his outburst and then her shoulders slumped.

"Fine, let's hide out here and live." She pouted.

"Sounds like a plan."

"Mother Lupa says that death in battle is honorable—"

"Shut up," he and Hazel said automatically. Gwendolyn rolled her eyes, turning around and climbing up the oak tree like it was a sixth sense. Soon, she got too high up for them to see her.

"Tell me if there are any monsters, okay? Otherwise I'm taking a nap."

Percy smiled and picked at the edge of his purple shirt. "Will do."

* * *

**N**ightfall came and they were sitting in front of a roaring fire. Gwendolyn's snores from the oak tree were obnoxiously loud. "So you're positive that monsters won't come and attack us?" Percy whispered. Hazel snickered and shook her heads.

"No, we're trained. Most monsters would rather starve than face death. Unless we're all asleep, which should never happen—" in the middle of her explanation, she stiffened. "Percy, close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you to."

"Why?" he asked, keeping his eyes open and scanning the forest. She scowled and clamped a hand over his eyes. "C'mon, Hazel, if it's a monster . . . we can take 'em."

"If it's what I think it is, no, you can't," she warned. Louder, she said, "Gwendolyn, same for you." A loud snore answered her. Percy sighed and shut his eyes, concentrating on everything else. There was a rustle in the underbrush and then an eerie light flooded through Hazel's palm, too dim to be made out.

"Avernale," said Hazel tersely, "you are not welcome here."

There was a dry chuckle. "Why, a daughter of my Mistress! What a pleasant surprise. May I sit?"

"Only if you extinguish your torch. Remember, we're armed and not afraid to kill you."

"Don't worry, demigod. I would never willingly hurt a daughter of my Mistress or her companions. Besides, I already ate. The daughter of Minerva was rather fulfilling." A brief pause and then, "It is done."

Hazel removed her hand and Percy blinked at the visitor. It was of a dark-haired woman with bright, onyx eyes—an unnatural color that made him shiver. She wore a medieval-styled dark blue dress and had an unlit torch by her side. Her skin was as white as paper. Almost immediately, he knew what she was. "You're a Lampade." The blonde girl had taught him that in a class at . . . at . . . he didn't know.

She scowled. "No, fool. I am one of the many _Nymphae Avernales_, servants of Trivia and nymphs of the underworld. My torch can drive all but my Mistress's children mad and weak. You may call me Aleda."

She smiled. It almost looked like she was grimacing. Hazel said, voice quiet, "Aleda, why are you here?"

"What, I cannot visit with my Mistress's child? You are of fire elementary, are you not? Impressive. That is one of my Mistress's favorite elements to use in combat. I hope you learn to—"

Aleda's voice was cut off by a whizzing sound. Suddenly, an arrow was embedded in her throat, its tip showing on the other side. The Avernale choked and exploded into dust, covering everyone in flour-like powder.

Gwendolyn's voice rang out from the tree. "That was for Sandy." There was a stunned pause, then she said, "I'm going to go scout around for extra food and I'll call for you if I get in trouble." She dropped to the ground, turned and marched off.

Hazel tucked her legs under her chin when the daughter of Apollo was out of earshot. "I worry about her sometimes," she whispered. "Gwendolyn, I mean. She never quite got over the death of Sam."

"Sam?"

"Her boyfriend. He was a son of Juventas and everyone thought he was pathetic. He tried, he really did, but he had a disease that made him weak and everything. Russell ended up killing him in a gladiator fight, three years ago."

"Killing someone just because they're sick? That's . . . just wrong! They couldn't help it!" he said angrily. Hazel shook her head.

"I thought I explained this to you already, Percy. We let one weak person live, they start influencing us and we become weak also. That can't happen, you know? Mother Lupa would eat us all, probably call us unworthy to be in her presence."

There was a tense silence. He finally broke it by saying, "So . . . what do you think the head monster will be like?"

She scratched her head, shaking the flour from her hair. "I don't know. She probably picked something from another mythology to throw us off and to challenge you, as you're the only new person to ever participate in a Challenge without a year of experience. Or she made it up—Mother Lupa and Mom have a very good relationship.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she asked Mom to create something dangerous. Tomorrow we'll find the border and try to get in and call the other campers. It's always in the same place, so it shouldn't be that hard. And now that we're talking about this . . ." she trailed off and blushed.

"What?"

She looked at him and made a face. "Nothing."

He shrugged. "Okay."

They stayed there, in silence, until a twig snapped from somewhere in front of them. He jumped up and unsheathed Riptide immediately, holding a hand out to stop Hazel. "Who goes there?"

"Just—" a grunt, "—your friendly neighborhood son of Mars. Christ, Gwendolyn, you need to cut down on the PopTarts."

Bobby Garcia emerged, half-carrying, half-dragging an unconscious Gwendolyn.

Percy couldn't stop Hazel from getting up and running to her friend. "What did you _do_ to her?" Hazel demanded, taking Gwendolyn from his arms and setting her down on the ground.

"Me? I didn't do nothing. I was walking in the woods and she came from behind a tree. We started talking and then she pitched forward, unconscious. Nothing was behind her. I checked. Then I picked her up and wandered around until I heard you guys talking. It's a nice setup you've got here. I think I'll stay."

With that, he lay down in the grass and gazed at the sky. "Good luck trying to get her to wake up. I'm half-expecting her to start snoring like a pig—"

"Shut up, Bobby," Percy snapped, looking at Gwendolyn. Her skin was glistening with sweat and she would have periodic spasms. Her bow was clenched tightly in her hand despite her unconsciousness. He grabbed the girl's shoulder and turned her over. His eyes widened at the sight and he pointed. "Hazel, look."

In the side of her back was a hole in her skin, revealing red muscle underneath. It wasn't bloody or anything, but it gave off the smell of something burning. Hazel gasped and backpedalled, covering her mouth with her hands. "I think she was attacked or something," he continued. "I'll pray to Dad to heal her in the river."

She nodded and pried the bow out of her hands, taking off the quiver with it. He picked Gwendolyn up, bridal style, and walked over to the river. There he put her in the water and let her sink, praying to his father for her healing, getting into the river after her. The water came up to his nose. He took a deep breath and went under, creating an air bubble around the two of them.

At first, nothing happened. Then Gwendolyn went into a series of spasms, twitching and curling her hands into fists. It was slightly unnerving. A blue blob crawled out of her nose, like something from an alien movie. It gave him goose bumps and it floated to the bottom of the river.

Percy picked the goo up in his hand, shivering in disgust, and wrapped his other arm around her waist, pushing up from the river's bottom and emerging from the water. Hazel was there, helping them to the dry land. Gwendolyn shivered but soon started snoring again while Hazel turned her over and pushed her shirt up to inspect her back. "The hole's gone, Percy," said Hazel. He grunted and held the blue mush up, sifting through it several times before he figured out what it actually was.

"Don't eat the blueberries!" he warned loudly, flicking the goo off and washing his hands in the river's water. Bobby stopped chewing something and stared guiltily at Percy, his mouth stained blue. "I'm not exactly sure what happened, but it'll do something bad your skin sooner or later and make you too weak to do anything. That's what happened to Gwendolyn."

Hazel furrowed her brow. "You're kidding," she said after a few seconds, looking around for anything else that might be poisonous. "She's, like, concealing the poison more cleverly now. Jeez, it's a good thing I ate the blackberries and felt full after that. Unless those are poisonous, too." She prodded her stomach and grimaced. "Let's hope not. Is Gwendolyn alright?"

Percy shrugged. "We'll have to wait and see. Bobby, you think you can try to throw up the berries?"

Bobby raised an eyebrow and turned around. "Sure. Mother Lupa taught us so that if anyone made us eat or drink poison we'd be able to throw it up, kick their ass and escape." He then proceeded to shove two fingers down his throat, gag, and make retching noises. Percy didn't watch and looked at Hazel instead. She was sitting alone by the campfire.

"Hey," he said, sitting next to her. She smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I feel like a dork," she admitted.

"Why?"

Bobby gurgled loudly before she could answer. Then he went to sit by Hazel's side and rubbed her arm. Percy tried not to glare at him for that. "So, good news. I think all the monsters are gone except the Head. Tomorrow morning, we break into the lair and get the conch horn. Once everyone's there, we kick its ass and go home to our friends. Got it?"

Gwendolyn groaned and stirred, but didn't wake up. Percy shrugged. "Sounds fine to me, I guess."

"We've had a rough night, everyone. Let's go to bed," Hazel declared.

He wasn't able to sleep. At all. A scuffling noise echoed through the clearing, and he sat up, grabbing Riptide in case he had to do anything.

The fire was dim, everyone was still asleep and there was a small shape rummaging around the poison berries. It was a wolf. Amber eyes met his dark green in the near-darkness and he froze, thoughts automatically associating it with Lupa. Wait. No. Lupa had silver eyes, not amber.

He relaxed when he saw its fur color—snow-white. He'd seen this type of wolf before, but he couldn't remember where. Damn his mind! Why couldn't he recall _anything_?

It prowled towards him, sniffing his face. Percy stayed absolutely still. "How'd you get into the forest, buddy?" he asked, stroking its head. "Are you part of Mother Lupa's pack? If so, that's cool, but I thought only the monsters were allowed—"

He cut his words off. The wolf shook its head and straightened, tilting its head to the side. There was another snarl and another wolf—this one with copper-colored fur—came into view. Snow White cowered and ran, while Lincoln bared its teeth and chased after her. He hoped the two he'd named on a spur of the moment would play nice, but he had a sickening feeling they wouldn't.

He looked up, wondering if Lupa was around; she _had_ said that she checked up on the Challengers sometimes when he first came to Gladius. He saw silver eyes stare at him and then vanish.

Needless to say, he had a hard time going back to sleep.

* * *

"**P**ercy. Wake up," a voice sang. Water splashed on his face and he opened his eyes, squinting at the sunlight. Hazel stared back at him and poked his nose. "It's time to go raid the Head's lair. You ready?"

"Ugh, yeah. Help me up, I'm still woozy." Hazel grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. Once the black spots disappeared and he could see again, he could articulate words properly. "How's Gwendolyn?"

"Fine," the blonde answered for Hazel. "And Bobby, I do _not_ snore. Shut up."

"Whatever, Morrison." Bobby eyed her coat. "Hey, can I use your coat? You'll just be in the trees and most likely no one will be able to see you. However, I'll be in the middle of things and I didn't bring any armor."

She rolled her eyes and took it off, bunching it into a ball and handing it to him. "I didn't think it was your style, though—trench coats? Yuck."

There was a pause as Bobby shrugged the coat on. Gwendolyn went scrounging for arrows. Hazel was filling up all the canteens in the river. Later, Percy asked, "Is everyone ready?"

"Yes. Let's go kick some monster butt!" Gwendolyn cheered. Hazel lingered in the back.

"Percy, there will be a group of purplish flowers somewhere in the monster's lair. Whenever one wilts it means that a Challenger has wounded it. When they're all wilted, it means that it then can be killed. Don't kill the flowers or else it will be invincible. Mother Lupa had to step in when someone in the '70s crushed all of them. Okay?"

"Got it," he replied.

They walked in silence. At some point Gwendolyn climbed a tree, and they could hear her jumping from branch to branch. It was quite a loud racket, and there were even some swears and an _"Ow, dammit. I wish I had a griffin."_ Finally, Bobby stopped and tapped something in the air. When he was done miming he nodded and said, "This is it. The shield's up but it's weak. We need to blow the conch horn for it to completely fall. Let's go."

The trio went forward into the clearing. It was kind of moving in Jell-O, but they got past it and Percy went forward when he saw the conch shell hanging on a pole, attached to a leather band—just like Bobby had said.

"Blow into it," Bobby hissed, "but be careful of the flowers."

He nodded, taking a step over a precious purple-black tulip and continued on his journey. When he grabbed the conch shell, he lifted it up and blew as hard as he could. A deep sound echoed through the forest, giving him little tingles in his memory, and he could see little blue waves pulsing, and then fading, around some trees. Was that the remainder of the force field?

He turned around to see Hazel right behind him. He jumped back, startled, then relaxed. "Oh, Hazel. It's just you. I was expecting the dragon."

She half-smiled and reached for him. He was about to go to her side, but then Hazel's voice came from somewhere else: "Percy, don't!"

He stopped and looked around in confusion. Another Hazel pushed Bobby out of her way and shook her head. He looked from the Hazels, trying to determine which the real one was.

"Which one of you is Hazel?" he asked.

"I am!" Both said at the same time.

The other Hazel's eyes narrowed and she withdrew a dagger. "Oh, please, like some dagger's going to scare me. I control fire, demon."

Before the dagger-wielding Hazel could reply, a blade sprouted from her stomach. Percy blanched in surprise and backpedalled, careful not to step on a flower. One wilted beneath him. Four were left.

The blade disappeared and the demon fell to her knees, collapsing on the ground. Behind her was an African American girl Percy recognized—Sasha Everett, the only daughter of Venus gifted with charmspeak. He'd seen her in training before. She only possessed a dagger, if that, and the people she faced never got a chance to actually fight. She made them yield as soon as she could.

Sasha blew a strand of black hair out of her face and smiled. "I really hope that wasn't the real Hazel."

"It wasn't," came a squeaky reply. It was probably shocking to see a clone of yourself get stabbed.

Percy glanced down at the demon and stopped. "Where'd the body go?"

The imposter was no longer curled up at Sasha's feet. In fact, it had disappeared. The only evidence to show that it had been there was black blood staining the grass.

Bobby kicked the ground. "Dammit, we missed our chance! If we weren't so stupid, we could've killed it by now."

"Be careful, guys," Sasha whispered. "I have a bad feeling about this one."

Percy glanced around. He had the sneaking suspicion that Lupa had created this monster just to test him.

Sasha backed up a step and was promptly tackled by a slithering, orange mass. Percy turned at her bloodcurdling scream and ran toward her, hoping he wasn't too late. The dragon hissed at him and sliced Sasha across the face, getting off of her and rearing up on its hind legs. It was bright orange, two stories tall, and those claws looked _very_ sharp. Percy gasped slightly and tightened his hold on Riptide.

"Keep it distracted!" Bobby shouted. In response, the dragon turned toward him, breathing fire. Bobby turned his back on it just in time. The trees became ablaze in green light, and suddenly the heat was intense. Percy took advantage of the dragon's turned back by jumping onto its tail, climbing up its back to reach its neck. Hazel ran past him to kneel at Sasha's side.

Percy wrapped his legs around the thick, bulky neck of the dragon and plunged Riptide into the small chink between the scales.

_This is too easy_.

The dragon roared in pain, snorting fire everywhere. Over the monster's head, he could see Hazel forcing the fire to retreat into her staff, but it was too hot and too much. Bobby took the initiative and stabbed his sword into the back leg of the dragon.

Its neck gave twisted and slithered from underneath Percy. He could barely get Riptide out of its body before it heaved and he was falling.

Luckily, something soft and fleshy broke his fall. There was a breathless "_Oomph_!" and he landed hard. The person underneath him swore softly. "Now you've done it, Percy. I was going to attack the thing, too, but it's gone now."

He got up. "Oh, crap, Hazel. Sorry." He leaned down and helped her up.

She gritted her teeth and raised her staff. All of the blue flames swirled around the trees and disappeared into thin air, leaving unharmed foliage behind. "Is everyone all right?" she called loudly.

Bobby dragged Sasha over to them. Her face was cut very badly, already with some swelling. It was a miracle she was alive, as her countenance was in tatters. He could even see bone and pink mushy stuff underneath. She was also unconscious. "Put her somewhere safely," Percy said. "She's in no condition to fight."

Hazel scratched at her ankle, clutching her staff for support. "You alright?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. Just an itch."

"There are two more flowers, guys," Bobby said. "And only one injury. We've got this in the bag."

They huddled close together, waiting in tense anticipation for the monster. "So you think Mother Lupa created this thing?" Percy mumbled, holding Riptide in front of him.

He turned to Hazel. She closed her eyes and nodded, scratching more urgently at her ankle.

He turned back to Bobby, who was scratching his face. "So are we just going to wait for the monster to show up?" the son of Mars asked. Percy shrugged.

In the silence that followed, he could hear the smooth sound of a bowstring being pulled back. His brow furrowed in confusion, but before he could say anything, a golden arrow was sticking out of Bobby's neck.

His eyes turned black and bulged. Hazel struck immediately, slamming her staff into the ground. Fire reared up and went at the imposter, who snarled and exploded into the orange dragon. Percy's eyes went wide and he let out a string of creative curses.

Hazel dropped her staff, making the fire disappear. She grabbed Riptide from Percy's hand and ran around the dragon. Soon, the monster roared in pain. The last flower wilted, and he grabbed Hazel's staff. It was time to kill the thing. Arrow after arrow bounced off of the scales.

He could make out Hazel climbing the dragon and appearing on its head. "Hazel, no!" he shouted. The dragon snorted and shook its head. Hazel screamed as she lost her balance and fell. At the last moment, she stabbed Riptide in the scales, holding onto the hilt for dear life. She tried to use the slithering scales as leverage, but slipped and fell.

He felt sick, and could only watch, clutching her staff. A golden arrow appeared next to Riptide and she latched onto it with her other hand. At least she was stable now. He silently thanked the gods for Gwendolyn's archery skill.

The dragon snapped at her, sprouting fire wherever it looked. "You've got to help her!" Gwendolyn shouted from somewhere in the trees.

She was right. He darted around, not bothering to distract the monster, and grabbed its tail. Suddenly, the dragon dropped to the ground and rolled, swinging its tail in the air. It was kind of like a rollercoaster ride, but with no safety belt and no guarantee that you were going to live. Percy wrapped his legs around the bulk of the tail and held on. Hazel screamed again.

Slowly, he started climbing until he was at the dragon's neck, holding on to dear life. Hazel was now hanging from Riptide's hilt again with one hand. The golden arrow Gwendolyn had shot to buy time was snapped in half. He reached down, offering his hand. Hazel squinted up at him and grunted, swinging her body up to grab his hand. He pulled her up to safety, dislodging Riptide from the scales. "Your staff," he murmured, handing the piece of wood to her.

Holding hands so that they wouldn't fall, they climbed up to the dragon's head. Gwendolyn had abandoned her post at the trees and was now hurling insults at the beast, jumping and dancing out of the way of any green flames shot her way.

"Together," he whispered. She nodded, clutching her staff. "Together we stab its eyes. And then kill it."

"Right. On three."

"One, two—" The dragon shook its head, as if listening to their whispered conversation. Percy didn't pause; he stepped forward and drove Riptide's blade into the hateful green eyes. Hazel clutched his arm and did the same thing to the monster's other eye.

It roared, and Percy dislodged Riptide, turning around and driving it through a spot of flesh exposed by quivering scales. There was a great crack, and black blood gushed everywhere. The dragon roared again.

"Jump! _Jump, dammit_!" Gwendolyn screamed. It reared up on its hind legs. Percy flailed and grabbed Hazel before losing his balance and falling off of the monster's head.

* * *

"**O**w," he muttered. He was lying face-first in the grass. Someone was on top of him. His face throbbed, but he wasn't feeling any searing pain anywhere.

Hm. Curious.

"Percy!" Hazel gasped. "Oh my gods, Percy, are you okay?"

He felt her get off of him and roll him onto his back. Gwendolyn appeared in his field of vision, staring down at him. "I'll take care of him, Hazel. You deal with the fire and find Bobby."

Hazel nodded, and was gone. Gwendolyn knelt down to him and started poking him everywhere. When she poked his cheek, he swatted her hand away. "What are you doing?"

"Testing for broken bones," she said. "By all means, your whole body should've been shattered. Added with Hazel's weight, it's a wonder why you're not dead."

He sat up. "I feel disjointed. And sore. Does that count?"

She pushed him back down in response. "You should be dead," she repeated, sitting back on her haunches. "But you're not. Why is that?"

Hazel appeared again, and someone groaned behind her. He figured that was Bobby. "Percy, you're all right!" she said breathlessly, enveloping him in a hug. "The dragon's dead. There's just a pool of black blood left."

_I am impressed_.

They all froze, and Gwendolyn didn't stop him from sitting up this time. "Mother Lupa," the demigods said as one, bowing their heads in respect.

_I have never seen a son of Neptune not use his powers when facing the Head Monster,_ the she-wolf said, prowling towards them. For a second, Percy wondered where she had come from, and then focused on her words. _Nor have I seen a dragon be so lenient towards its Challengers. I haven't seen someone survive a two-story fall, either. Luck must be on your side today, pups._

"What do we do now, Mother Lupa?" Percy asked.

She snorted. _We burn the shrouds of the dead, and we celebrate the victors with a feast worthy of the gods. Be on your best behavior. We have visitors. Now follow me._

He was helped to his feet by Hazel, and the survivors of the Challenge hobbled after their Mother Wolf.

* * *

**I**t was the next day, in the morning. The sun was just peaking behind Quirinal Hill. Everyone was gathered for the funerals of the Challengers who had lost their lives.

"Sandra Kennedy, a daughter of Minerva. Perished by an Avernale's lamp," Reyna read solemnly. The whole camp was gathered for the funerals beside Quirinal Hill, which was way out where the tombs were, a mile away from the camp. The best musicians in Apollo's tent were singing and playing the funeral hymns, while the children of Minerva stood by. Russell was going to carry the ashes to the tomb after her siblings. The siblings of the deceased would not partake in the celebrations. They would do a vigil in silence instead.

Reyna gestured to a daughter of Minerva, who went to the center of the crowd and began her eulogy. Percy took the time to scan the faces of the crowd. Sasha was there, half of her face bandaged. He noticed that no one cried.

When she was done, she lit a match and lit the shroud covering Sandra's body. That was the only time any noise went up at all; collectively, the whole camp let out a wail of despair, not including Percy. Then Hazel stepped forward and calmed the flames. Russell held an urn in his hands and dusted all of the ashes and bone fragments into the container, singing a prayer under his breath.

Then, in silence, the children of Minerva walked towards the entrance of the tomb. Russell followed them, holding the urn in his darkened hands. Never once did the music stop.

Reyna stepped to the center again. "Grant Sanders, a son of Mercury. Perished by the Nemean Lion . . ."

* * *

**L**upa was waiting for them when they arrived at the center of the camp. _Welcome, my pups,_ she said. _We also welcome our visitors, who will not be staying with us this evening. _

The camp started whispering amongst themselves. Not once did Percy see any unfamiliar faces, so he had no idea what the she-wolf was talking about. Lupa began a speech talking about the bravery of the warriors who had sacrificed their lives in the Challenge, then went on to say how proud she was of them all.

_Tonight, we honor Percy Jackson, Bobby Garcia, Gwendolyn Morrison, Hazel Scott, and Sasha Everett for their bravery in taking on a monster of my creation and succeeding. The camp is yours, as long as you do not bother the mourners on Quirinal Hill, and you go back to your tents at nine. Congratulations, Challengers._

A cheer erupted from the crowd. "Let's party!" Hazel shouted, grabbing his hand and dragging him away. The Mars tent hoisted Bobby up onto their shoulders and walked away as a collective group, cheering.

"Where are you going?" he asked. She smirked at him, but didn't answer.

They had just passed the circle of tents when three people passed them. Two of them he knew—Dakota Wright and Dwayne Anderson, the twin of Carla. The girl they had between them stopped at the sight of him, her mouth hanging open. She had the same two-tone hairstyle that he'd seen a few girls having at camp. However, she had a layer of bright green hair on top of black, with hazel eyes that reminded him of the children of Trivia. He couldn't help but stare.

"Percy . . .?" she whispered, awed. When Dakota shoved her, she started jumping, trying to break free of the Roman demigods. "Percy! _Percy Jackson_!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

He stared at her, confused and not having a clue as to what she was talking about. Dwayne grunted and shoved her, forcing her to keep moving. Hazel stared at him curiously. "Do you know that girl?" she asked, looking as puzzled as he felt.

He shook his head. "No. No idea who she was."

* * *

**I**t was a hot night. He went back to his tent, still high from his victory celebration, and took off his shirt. Maybe then he could cool down. _I probably should've jumped in the lake, too, when the Mars tent dumped Bobby in_, he mused as he entered his room.

At the sight of who was there, he stopped dead.

A girl was standing absolutely still in the middle of his room. She was holding the mysterious bead necklace in her hand, making him uncomfortable. He'd never shown that to anyone, not even Hazel. She turned halfway to look at him and smirked. "Hello, cousin."

"Who are you?" he asked. It came out ruder than he wanted and he winced. She raised an eyebrow and brushed back her black hair. There was a bright blue streak down one of her bangs. She turned away from him and continued to study the necklace.

"I am Mae Etka North of the Western Apache tribe, daughter of Neptune, First Deputy of Diana. Who are you?"

"The name's Percy Jackson. And that doesn't make us cousins," he said, confused. "That makes us half-siblings. Or am I just not getting something?"

Her dark eyes met his at the words and she fingered the beads on the necklace. "Oh, believe me, that makes us cousins," she said, looking down at it. "I saw a girl wearing this exact thing, with the exception of different beads. She had green hair on a top layer of her original black. Hazel-eyed." The smirk didn't fade.

"Why would that make us cousins?" he asked. She was making him nervous, and the description of the girl rang a bell. "And what'd you do to her?"

Mae closed her fist and turned around, staring at him head-on. "I suggest you put your shirt back on and _keep_ it on for as long as the Seekers are staying here," she said coldly. He flushed and quickly shrugged the purple attire on again, scratching the back of his head.

"How long are you planning to stay here, exactly?"

She shrugged. "As long as the Huntress wishes us to. The mortal Seekers are staying in the Victory tent."

"You didn't answer my other questions, Mae," he said, eyes narrowing. She raised an eyebrow.

"Which ones? You asked a lot."

"Why would that make us cousins, and what'd you do to the girl?"

She made a face. "Why do you care about her? I was under the impression you and Hazel Scott were quite smitten with each other."

He narrowed his eyes. "My relationship with Hazel is none of your business." She sighed. "And stop replying with your own questions! I want _answers_, not riddles."

"Very well," Mae said. "I'm impressed, by the way. Brick walls and wooden floors so soon? Mother Lupa must love you. Anyway. _I_ did nothing to the child. As for your cousin question. . . ." She walked forward and pressed the necklace into his hand. "You might want to get rid of this. Because it's in the same style the prisoner is wearing. The _Greek_ one."

She walked out of his room and went to the adjacent one, pausing at the tent flap. "Oh, and Percy? Don't come into my room. Don't look through my stuff. And don't you _dare_ give my Seekers a second glance. I won't regret my actions . . . cousin. Good night and sweet dreams!"

He stayed frozen, staring at the necklace. It wasn't possible. He wasn't Greek—he was Roman and Lupa's determining him, almost a year ago, proved that! Didn't it? He sat down on his bed, examining it by lamplight. If he showed this to Lupa, she could get suspicious.

He thought about it for several minutes. If the Greek prisoner who'd screamed his name a earlier today had the same necklace, maybe she'd have knowledge on his past.

He stood up, gripping the necklace, and glanced at the tent flap that covered the doorway to Mae's room. Then he left the tent, hoping it wasn't 8:30 yet.

He needed to have a talk with this prisoner.

* * *

_(Not) written for __**Project PULL**__. I like Mae. Please forgive the fight scenes/cheese. :3 Many thanks and hearts to:_

Musafreen :: Orochi-Ne :: xXxShiniKazexXx :: DCThunder2107 :: Lord Jace :: PrincessPiperMarie :: Auglairesa :: Acacia Thorn :: Lieutenant of Artemis :: Audreacity :: Shrrgnien :: FallingStar17 :: Aanaleigh :: Genevieve du Bernard :: Jason LaVey :: The Evil Sniff :: Little Miss Hades :: DiamondDragonFang-Pertemis :: dreamerreader :: FallenAngel-216 :: To Kill a Mockingjay :: Wintra :: Emily Darkbow :: pineconeface711 :: El Vagabundo Solitario :: zynaofthenight :: Drifting Petals :: .Cheesyness :: Jhakasi :: Vanished Snowflake :: Incendiarist :: Peter Ji_  
_


	3. · Part III ·

_**Title**__: Camp Gladius: Part III_

_**Characters/Pairing**__: Percy/Hazel if you squint._

_**Warning/Spoilers**__: Uhm, I deleted the dream scene where he found out about Annabeth/Rachel/Piper etc because I thought it didn't add anything to the story. Just letting you know._

_**A/N**__: __In which Percy kicks ass and gets his ass kicked. In the words of Musafreen. ;) Sorry for such the long wait. XD There will be a part four, and that will be the last chapter. Beta'd by __**Lord Jace**__. Enjoy!_

_**Dedication**__: To Tenages, who was supposed to be my beta for this but never replied to my PM. :(_

* * *

**· Part III ·**

* * *

**I**t was raining when he went outside the tent, holding the necklace with an iron grip. He looked around, hoping that Lupa wasn't around, and back at the tent. Was he really going to do this?

He almost went back. He almost gave in to fear. Then he scolded his cowardice and pushed the tent flap back, walking into the prisoner's tent.

The girl who'd screamed his name looked up. She was tied to a wooden pole in the center of the tent. Her clothes were torn and her feet were bare, brown from the messy dirt floor. It reminded him of his room when he had first arrived.

"Percy Jackson," she mumbled under her breath. "'Sup? This reminds me of _Pocahontas_. Except you're not Pocahontas, I'm not John Smith, and we're not going to passionately kiss as I await my death."

He crouched down next to her. "What happened to you?" he asked, making out a bruise-like circle around her eye.

She shrugged. "That purple-eyed girl doesn't have a sense of humor. Or a good right hook. No worries, though. I've had worse."

"What's your name, girl?" he asked, tightening his grip on the necklace. Was it true that she knew about his past? Maybe Mae was playing with his head. She didn't seem to like him that much—it'd make sense if he was just being Rick Rolled.

"I would shake your hand, but your friends here tied me up real tight. I'm Lou Ellen Turner." She paused, as if waiting for a reaction for him. "Of course you don't recognize my name. Do you remember _anything_?"

"Nothing. Well, I've gotten some flashbacks, but I didn't know anyone I saw."

"But Jason remembers everything," she remarked, furrowing her brow. He bristled.

"I don't know who Jason is, nor do I give a damn about him," he snapped. "Now, the reason I came here was to ask you something."

Her eyes darted down and her mouth curved into a smile. "You still have your camp necklace?" she whispered, delighted.

"What?"

"You still have your camp necklace?"

"What's that?"

"The thing in your hand."

"Oh." He glanced down at the bead necklace in his hand. "I was going to ask you about that."

"What do you want to know?" she said, her voice never getting louder than a whisper. "I was there when you arrived at Camp Half-Blood when you were twelve. Only got claimed after you made the gods swear to claim their children, but I still loved it there. I'll tell you anything you want to know. Scout's honor."

"Tell me everything you know," he said. "Please."

So she did. She told him every fact she knew about him—apparently, he had fought several major Greek monsters in just a few years of his new life, such as the Minotaur, the Chimera, the Fury Alecto, and Medusa.

He also had a girlfriend named Annabeth. He took on Kronos—_Saturn_, his mind mentally translated—at sixteen, seemed invincible during the battle, and won. He had a pet pegasus named Blackjack. He had also battled several gods and saved Olympus single-handedly, which was kind of hard to believe.

That was great and all, but he still didn't remember anything she told him.

They reached a moment of comfortable silence. Then Lou Ellen sighed. "By the way," she said. "That Mae girl—does she know?"

"Know what?" he asked, looking up from the bead necklace, his eyes narrowed.

"That you're—well, you know, a Greek."

"No. Why would she?"

Lou Ellen shrugged, and he could see the bright green of her hair bob in the darkness. "I don't know. She came in here and started talking to me about my necklace. When I told her that I was Greek, she nodded and walked out. Weird girl."

He jumped to his feet, alarmed at the news. "_What_?" Before she could respond, he said, "Sorry, but I have to go. Thank you—for everything."

He walked away from the prisoner's tent until he reached a bare spot of dirt. Percy dropped to his knees and dug up the mud, stopping when he figured it to be a decently sized hole.

Next, he picked up the clay bead necklace. He fingered each of the four beads, examining it when he could from the lightning. He dropped the necklace in the hole and covered it up, the rain making the mud slick and stick to his fingers. When it was finally covered up, he straightened and wiped his hands on his jeans.

Percy spun on his heel, walked towards his tent, and turned his back on his past.

* * *

**H**e decided to change into dry clothes before confronting her. "Mae, I need to talk to you," he said loudly, walking across the fauce and barging into her room. "Now."

She was in bed, reading a book. Her hair was in a braid instead of the messy ponytail from earlier. She shut the book and stared at him, crossing her arms. "I thought I told you never to enter my room without my permission."

"I don't care," he hissed. "You knew I was Greek."

A shadow of a smirk played on her features before disappearing. "Is that so?"

"Why else would you be in my room, Mae? When I told you my name, you didn't look surprised at all. You were smug, actually. And you talked to Lou Ellen. Why didn't you tell me that you knew? Did you tell Mother Lupa about me?"

She was silent. Then, she said, "You are a _cocky_ bastard, aren't you?"

He didn't know how that related to anything, but he shrugged. "It runs in the family."

Her lips curled up into a smile. "Touché."

He glared at her. "I want answers, Mae. Stop stalling."

"All right. Yes, I knew you were Greek. Are you happy, cousin dear?"

"Why didn't you tell me? And how did you know I was Greek?"

"Why would I tell you?"

He rocked back and forth on his feet, not sure which question she was answering. "You could've sought me out, told me personally or something."

She wrinkled her nose. "Why would I?"

He shook his head. "You're—you're not going to tell Mother Lupa, are you?"

"Why would I?"

"Stop that! I want to tell her myself. Soon. I'll tell her the truth, and hopefully she'll let me leave in peace."

"Good luck with that, cousin. If I know anything about Mother Lupa, it's that she despises traitors." She picked up her book again. "Goodnight, Percy. Don't let the bed bugs bite."

He sighed and backed out of her room, sliding underneath the covers of his own bed.

* * *

**H**e was awoken by his own screaming. "No, Zoë!" he cried, sitting up straight.

His scream was met with a shouted "For God's sake, Jackson," from Mae across the tent, but otherwise everything was silent. He knew who Zoë was—or had been. She was the one who had weaved out of the ten-headed dragon in the garden of . . . of the Hesperides. Was that it? Yes, he decided, it was. Nymphs of the sunset.

He glanced around the room, and stopped. A pair of golden eyes was staring out at him. Their lips curled into a half-smirk. Someone was in the room with him, but he didn't know who. Before he could call out to the figure, the golden eyes disappeared.

_Not again_.

He heard rustling outside, and braced himself.

"Rise and shine, Jackson!" a cheerful voice said outside of his room. Reyna opened the door and smiled at him, flicking on the lights. "Great, you're already awake!" He groaned, and something soft hit him in the face. "It's time for your Legion determination. Up, up, up!"

He groaned again and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Reyna was walking around his room cheerfully, pawing through his dresser. She pulled out a pair of jeans and nodded, folding them in half and tossing them at him.

"Reyna?" he asked, still half asleep. "What are you doing in my room?"

"Like I said, Jackson, it's time for your Legion training," she said, picking up Riptide's scabbard and tossing it at him.

"Uh . . . what time is it?" he asked, looking out of the window. It was still dark.

"It's five o' clock in the morning," she sang. He made a face.

"Don't I have, like, an hour before Mother Lupa calls us?" he asked, rubbing his eyes and standing up.

"Two, actually. I'm giving you five minutes to get dressed and then I'm coming in there," she said. She was bubbly. _Way_ too bubbly.

"Reyna . . . are you all right?" he asked cautiously.

She turned around and smiled at him. "Oh, yeah," she said, bouncing on her heels. "I just had, like, ten cups of coffee, is all. All of your teachers are at the dining hall." At his expression, her grin broadened, and she exclaimed, "Look at it this way! At least you can skip the training sessions and the gladiator fight."

"How's it Friday already?" he mumbled, but she was already out the door.

* * *

"**T**his," Gwendolyn said proudly, "is Maggie. She's a gryphus."

Archery and horseback was his first test, given by Gwendolyn. Apparently, all of his teachers were in the First Legion: Gwendolyn would teach archery and horseback, Reyna did the long and high jumps, Russell did fighting with the spear and sword, Carla tested swimming, and Bobby did hiking and running.

There were three legions in Gladius. The First Legion consisted of the "Big Three" children, (Russell) element controllers (Carla, Dakota, Hazel and Reyna) or the soldiers best in their field (Gwendolyn for archery, Bobby for sword fighting).

The Second Legion were the backup soldiers—they weren't awful, but they weren't fantastic, either. Lupa's pack was in this Legion.

And the Third Legion was the worst of the worst soldiers—cripples or the children Lupa placed in the fauns' care. They were those shoved to the back, the ones that the other soldiers needed to protect. Bobby had told him that if a battle ever came along, the Third Legion would hide in the tomb in Quirinal Hill.

Now, his day had started, and he was expected to ride the ugly mutant Gwendolyn had presented to him and shoot targets from the air.

If that wasn't suicidal, he didn't know what was.

He stared at the thing called Maggie. Maggie had an eagle's head and wings, with the golden body of the lion, and she was slightly taller than him. Every single one of her four feet looked like scaly hands, but with razor-sharp talons. Her beady black eyes stared down at him, and then she opened her beak and let out a nails-on-chalkboard kind of screech. He tried very hard not to flinch at the noise.

"She likes you!" Gwendolyn said. She didn't seem fazed by the thing's shriek at all. He was starting to think that every teacher of his for this "Legion test" had had seven cups of coffee. She smiled and patted Maggie's side, leading her by a silver bridle.

"I have to ride that?" he asked dubiously. "And you expect me to shoot arrows, try not to fall off, and fly around—at the same time?"

"Yes! But first, I want you to ride. Not fly. Ride."

"I am _not _riding this thing."

Gwendolyn's smile grew bigger. "If you don't like it," she said sweetly, "You can talk to Mother Lupa." He was silent. "That's what I thought."

Maggie screeched again and folded her wings, giving Percy a death glare. "Are you sure this is safe?" he asked again.

Gwendolyn smiled, as if what he said was a joke. "Not entirely, but I know CPR if you fall off, so we're all good. Now get on!"

"That's reassuring," he said dryly. An idea occurred to him. "Is it kind of like riding a pegasus?" he asked slowly, walking around the creature, inspecting it from all angles.

"I guess. I've never ridden one before," she answered. He glanced at her quickly, only to see that her smile was gone. "Now get on Maggie before I start deducting points."

He gulped and stared at her fur. Maggie's head was swiveled around, glaring at him. He could easily imagine this thing eating human flesh for breakfast. Percy took a deep breath and seized two fistfuls of her fur, pulling down and hoisting himself up. He swung his leg around her body and grabbed the bridle from Gwendolyn, gripping the leather so tightly his knuckles were white.

Maggie screeched even more loudly and she flapped her wings, landing on the ground and breaking out into a sprint, bucking to get him off. He pressed his knees tighter around her body in response.

When that failed to break him, she squawked and reared up on her hind rooster-hands, falling backwards. Her weight knocked the breath out of him, but he refused to be a failure. She rolled off of him and took off towards Gwendolyn. The openmouthed blonde managed to step out of the way, but he couldn't resist waving at her as they passed.

She did everything she could to shake him off, even flying upside down, but he held on. It faintly reminded him of trying to hold on to that seal somewhere in San Francisco.

He shook his head. _Whoa. Where did that come from?_ he thought. _I've never tried to hold on to a seal in San Francisco before._

Maggie cawed again, and then stopped trying to shake him. Her body shuddered with every panting breath she took. He leaned forward and patted her shoulder, urging her forward towards Gwendolyn. She was holding a heavy-looking wooden bow and quiver.

"Did I pass?" he asked, leaning against Maggie's bird head.

She smirked. "You managed to break a new gryphus. I'm impressed. Now you get to shoot arrows with her."

"Break a new griffin? Is that allowed?"

She raised an eyebrow at his term, but didn't answer. Instead, she shoved the bow and arrows into his hand and pointed to the Archery Arena in the distance. "You see those targets? There are three. You have three arrows. Aim and shoot. You only get one chance."

"Wait, you didn't answer—"

She slapped Maggie's rear. The gryphus reared and took off running. He dug his heels back into her sides, and she extended her wings. He could see Maggie's claws digging into the dirt, and then she pushed up—and suddenly, they were flying.

He slung the bow over his shoulder—man, these were heavy—and directed her towards the archery arena. He pulled it over his head again and grabbed an arrow, pulling it back and letting it fly at the first one. It missed entirely and embedded itself within the walls outlining the arena. He could see Gwendolyn marking something down on her clipboard, way below on the ground.

He sighed and grabbed another arrow, making Maggie fly in circles before he was comfortable enough to shoot.

Suddenly, Maggie cawed in delight and spun upside-down. Percy lost his balance in surprise and fell. Gwendolyn was walking slowly underneath him, focused on the clipboard in her hands. She even stopped at some point, which wasn't good as he was plummeting to the ground—right above her.

"Look out!" he yelled.

Gwendolyn looked up and dropped her clipboard, staring up at him in astonishment. She didn't move from that spot. He covered his face with his arms, and Gwendolyn broke his fall. He rolled off of her as soon as he realized he was on the ground and shook his fist at the squawking gryphus. "I hate that thing," he muttered, turning to the blonde. "Thanks for breaking my fall. Uh, are you alright?"

She blinked in shock and started coughing. When the fit was over, she looked at him with a steely gaze.

"What is it with you and surviving impossible heights?" she wheezed.

* * *

**R**eyna crossed her arms when Percy trudged towards her. Gwendolyn had sent him off to Russell, who had witnessed the whole gryphus thing and was hysterical with laughter.

When Russell had calmed down, he fought Percy with the most ferocity that he'd ever faced, and then made him impale dummies with spears from far away. He had half-expected the son of Pluto to make him fight undead soldiers, but he didn't, which was a little confusing.

In short, it was almost seven A.M. and he wanted to go back to sleep. "Where were you?" Reyna demanded, scribbling something on her clipboard.

"At the other tests," he replied. Her early coffee buzz seemed to have disappeared. "Where's your bubbly morning person personality?"

"I was watching your spectacular fail with the archery." She cracked a smile. He felt himself go pink.

"Did _everyone_ see that?"

"Only anyone who was up. Don't worry, you're better in swordfighting anyway. So, guess what you get to do here." She took a step back, revealing the huge ravine behind her. His training knowledge kicked in.

"Is this the long jump?"

"Yes." She sounded pleased.

"So where's the high jump?" he asked. She pointed to the fallen redwood tree that he remembered scrambling under when Lupa had first found him in Gladius. "Um. Isn't that _too_ high?"

"Not to those who know what they're doing. Unless you want to be placed in the Third Legion," she deadpanned. "You have to do the high jump first, then come around to the other side of the ravine. If you miss on either, you have to go back to where you started and try again. In the ravine's case, you have to climb up the opposite wall and try to jump over it again."

He glanced at the redwood. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope. I have a bed with my name on it, Jackson, so you'd better hurry." He hesitated, and she snapped at him. "C'mon! Go, go, go!"

* * *

**C**arla was his next stop. He'd gotten the redwood tree on his first try, but he had to climb up the rocks three times before he finally made it. Not counting the second time he made it, but then lost his balance and fell backwards.

Reyna laughed at him a lot for that. He was just thankful that there was a rope net tied to the sides of the ravine.

Carla was floating on her back when he reached her.

Carla Anderson was a petite Vietnamese girl who possessed formidable talents in controlling the element of water. She beat him during one of their training sessions three times in a row before he managed to use her own weapon against her. Her eyes were closed, but she still was able to tell that he was there, apparently, as she spoke only moments later. "I saw that fall off of the gryphus," she said, grinning. "It was pretty hysterical."

He scratched the back of his head. "So I've heard," he muttered. "Gwendolyn didn't seem to think so, though."

"Why?" she asked, slowly sitting up and making her way towards him, perfectly dry.

"I kind of . . . landed on her?"

She almost smiled, and then her face went blank. "And you're _okay_?"

"Yeah. I seem to have a talent of surviving the most challenging situations." Not liking the way she was looking at him, he hurried on. "So what do I have to do?"

She gestured to the lake. "What do you think, Jackson?"

It clicked in his mind, and he rolled his eyes. "I'm a son of Neptune, and you're making me _swim_? Seriously?"

She grinned at his tone. "Well, technically I'm testing your endurance. You just keep swimming from here to the end of the lake, and back and forth. I'll make it harder as you complete each lap. And you cannot manipulate the water save for keeping you dry, because I'll be able if you tell. Keep going 'till you die."

He rubbed his hands together. "This sounds like the easiest thing so far."

She winked at him and gestured to the lake. "Don't be so sure. Whenever you're ready."

He plunged into the water just as Lupa's howls pierced the air.

* * *

**B**obby grinned, clapping when he saw Percy. "Hey, man," he greeted, scratching absently at his arm. He was different from the others, Percy noticed; there wasn't a clipboard in his hands, he had a stopwatch with him, and there were gray bags stuffed full at his feet.

Percy was a little worn out from his swim. Carla had added stronger and stronger currents to the lake and even waves with each lap, until he was basically fighting a miniature hurricane. When he was done, she had smiled and told him to wait. Then, still smiling, she told him that she would castrate him with a carrot peeler if he broke Hazel's heart.

It was an unnerving experience, to say the least.

"Bobby," he murmured in return.

Bobby grinned and clapped him on the back. "You see how Aventine Cliff surrounds more than half of Camp Gladius?" he said. Percy nodded. "You get to run a mile. Lucky for you, Gladius is only a mile wide and a mile long, so basically run the next to the cliffs, past Capitoline and Palatine Hill, and next to the forest and lake until you lap me. Then I'll let you rest for a few minutes before we go on a hike. All those bags you see there? You're carrying them."

He glanced at the gray bags, then back at the son of Mars. "You've got to be kidding."

He raised an eyebrow in return. "Surely you know the answer to that."

Percy sighed in response and got down in the ready position to run. Bobby stared at his stopwatch. "Ready. Set. Go!"

He finished the mile in seven minutes and twenty-three seconds, with several tears in his shirt. Gwendolyn had decided to use him for target practice when he passed the Archery Arena. She didn't actually hit him, which he considered nothing short of a miracle, but it was still somewhat annoying.

After the down time of one minute that Bobby had given them passed, the son of Mars pointed to the gray bags on his left. "Right, so now it's hiking time."

"Why is this necessary again?" Percy asked, catching his breath.

"To test your stamina and strength, mainly. Plays a bigger part in the Legion determination then you'd think."

"Naturally. Let's get this hike over with."

* * *

"**P**ercy?" a voice whispered. He bolted up, blinking to clear the haze in his vision. Hazel stood in his doorway, looking awkward. She held a manila folder in her hands. "Oh, sorry, you were sleeping. It's free time now, and I was just—"

"No, you're fine," he said, waving it off and sitting up. "What's that you got there?"

She went over and sat on his bed, handing the folder to him. "Your Legion results. I didn't look at them, but I heard some good things when they were finalizing the results."

He opened the folder and pulled out the paper inside. Hazel scooted closer to read over his shoulder. "_Perseus Jackson, we are pleased to announce that you have been chosen for the First Legion. . . ._" he whispered aloud. Below, the paper showed him his rankings in the various skills he was tested in. Hazel grinned.

"Gwendolyn gave me a zero for archery skills," he muttered. "I'm not surprised."

"Oh, yeah, she was complaining about that. What happened?"

"An untrained gryphus kind of threw me off and she broke my fall."

Hazel's grin got bigger. "You're kidding. That's unreal!"

"Dead serious." A thought occurred to him, and he said, "Hey, it's Friday, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Russell beat the poor kid to the ground. No one can compete with dead skeletons."

"So here's what I'm confused about. If the Challenge was a Saturday, and now it's Friday, how did a week pass so quickly? It was only, like, two days."

Hazel pursed her lips. "The Challenge's time is much, much slower than normal time. It's kind of hard to explain, but basically a day is two and a half days in Gladius. And we spent three days in the Challenge, not two, so that would result in six days passing here. Make sense?"

"Yeah. A little. At least the weekend's tomorrow, yeah?"

She grinned at him and nodded. "Mhm. Have your fun sleeping, sea boy. I'll see you again. Want me to turn out the lights?"

"Yes, please."

When she was gone and he was alone in the dark room, he stared up at the ceiling, smiling absently. Suddenly, the room got a colder air, and he sat up. The golden eyes were there again, laughing at him. The same smirk was in place. He reached over and his fingers closed over Riptide's hilt. He sat up and pointed the blade in the eyes' direction. "Who are you?" he demanded.

The smirking mouth opened, and a soft laugh came out. He got out of bed and reached for the light switch, but the figure was already gone by the time light flooded the room.

* * *

**D**inner, Saturday night. It was the event most of the campers here were waiting for, because next Friday would be the last gladiator fight, and on Monday some of the campers would go home for the school year.

Lupa stood up at the front of the hall. The whole room fell silent, with only the crackle of flames from the obligatory bonfire.

_Pups of Gladius. I have decided who will fight for the last gladiator fight of the summer, as you are all going home in two weeks. It is then that you will all get your tattoo. I offer my congratulations to the survivors of Gladius. As for the fights, my first choice is Reyna Greene, daughter of Bacchus._

A series of scattered applause followed, while others exchanged nervous glances. Reyna was a formidable opponent, as proven during their training sessions together. Bobby snickered and high-fived his twin brother.

_Reyna's opponent shall be Drake Willis, son of Venus. Now that you know the contestants, I shall give you time to finish your meal and start preparing—_

A voice interrupted her. "Mother Lupa?"

A hush fell over the crowd and Percy craned his neck to see who had dared interrupt the Mother Wolf. It was an Asian kid, who looked very, very nervous. He was surrounded by beautiful girls and Sasha sat on his right. Percy could only guess that he was Drake Willis. "Can I . . . not participate in the gladiator fight?"

Someone gasped, and whispered conversations filled the air. Lupa barked, getting the attention of all the campers once again. _Are you refusing this honor, Willis?_ she asked. The tone of her voice made Percy want to warn Drake to consider his answer carefully.

"Um, well, you see," the boy answered, taking several deep breaths. "I kind of arrived, like, a month ago? And I don't really have much experience, much less the skill needed to take on Reyna Greene. I mean, she's amazing."

_Is that your final decision?_

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm not against fighting in the gladiator fights, I just think I need more time to hone and develop my skills. Also, I really don't want to face Reyna." He sent an apologetic smile in the daughter of Bacchus' direction. "Sorry, but it's true. You're like a freak of nature."

Reyna didn't get a chance to answer. Lupa went down to the ground floor and looked around at the silent campers. Her gaze landed on Percy, and he suddenly got a very, very bad feeling about all this.

_Jackson! _She barked. _Kindly show Drake Willis the way out of Gladius and leave him there. I will summon the monsters later._

He didn't move. Instead, he settled for glaring at Lupa. _Well? Get going! You're interrupting the campers' dinnertime._

He glanced around at the terrified faces, and finalized his decision. "No," he said.

_What did you say?_ she growled, stalking forward until they were nose-to-nose.

"I won't willingly participate in a murder," he said. Her lips pulled back to show sharp teeth as she glared at him, but he didn't budge. "Why bother? Just find a replacement that'll be up to par with Reyna. It's not that hard, Mother Lupa."

Someone sought out his hand and clasped it. "Percy," Hazel whispered beside him. Lupa sat back on her haunches, her silver eyes narrowed in thought.

_Very well, Jackson. I shall choose another opponent for Reyna. I hope you realize how grave your mistake is._ She prowled around the room some more, before stopping behind Reyna. _Reyna, _she growled. _A substitute for Drake Willis has been chosen. It shall be Carmen Webster._

Everyone present gasped or showed some other sign of horror. Then the room burst into hushed conversations again. Gwendolyn stood up from her seat, her face ashen. "But Mother Lupa, you promised she wouldn't fight! You _promised_ me."

Lupa didn't answer her.

"Who's Carmen?" Percy asked.

"I am," a voice said. They stood up, and he saw that it was the cripple that he had seen at breakfast last week, before they started the Challenge. She turned to Reyna and nodded. "I accept my fate."

Gwendolyn had her face buried in her hands. Lupa gazed at Percy with calculating silver eyes, her teeth bared in what seemed to be a smile.

_Her blood is on your hands, pup. This is what happens when you defy my authority._

His eyes narrowed, and the Mother Wolf stalked out of the building. Gwendolyn looked up briefly from her hands to send him a hate-filled glare.

"Percy, _what have you done_?" she hissed.

* * *

**H**e couldn't get past the week without having at least one person glare at him a day. Even Hazel had disappeared and he couldn't find her, like she was avoiding him. It was almost like it was his fault Lupa chose Carmen to be Reyna's opponent.

Well. Maybe it was. But that wasn't the point.

While the stares and whispers were starting to get on his nerves, he refused to regret his decision to stand up to Lupa. He hated bullies, and that was that. Why have doubts over doing the right thing?

So on Thursday night, he was a more than a little surprised to hear little sobs on his way to his tent. He traced the sound and found Reyna sitting on the ground, her face buried in her knees.

He blinked. Reyna Greene was not the kind of girl to cry—over _anything_. Not sure what to do, he sat down next to her and touched her shoulder. "Reyna?"

She looked up and her tearful expression hardened into one of contempt. "Jackson. Go away."

"Hey, what's with the attitude?" he defended. "What are you crying about?"

"It's just—nothing." And she looked away, frowning slightly and wiping any remaining tears away with her thumbs.

"C'mon, you can tell me what's wrong," he said. "Reyna, I know you, and you don't cry over nothing. So . . . it's gotta something important, or else you wouldn't give it the time of day."

She swallowed and gave a small laugh. "It's . . . I feel so helpless. Jason would know what to do in this situation, and I don't, and it's just _ugh_."

He had heard that name a total of five times—once from Lupa, back when he first arrived at Gladius, twice from whispers around camp, once from Lou Ellen, and now from Reyna. He had ignored it at first, but now it was starting to get on his nerves. "Who's Jason?"

"Jason was—well. He was kind of my boyfriend, I guess." She laughed. "He disappeared around the same time you showed up. Crazy coincidence, right? He was the praetor of the First Legion, which is basically the leader of the Legion."

"I know what _praetor_ means," he said sourly. At least she'd stopped crying, but he didn't really want to sit through a lecture on her missing boyfriend. According to Lou Ellen, he had a missing _girlfriend_, and the problems _that_ posed were enough for him.

"I know. But anyway, that's what he was. Role model for all the little kids," she said, smiling fondly. Then her expression sobered. "Now I have that weight on my shoulders, and I can't help but think that he was better for the job."

"Is that why you were crying?" he asked, suddenly uncomfortable. He was not the kind of guy who was a natural at comforting heartbroken girls. "Because you missed Jason?"

She scoffed. "No. I don't cry over boys. It was Carmen."

"Why were you crying over Carmen?"

She sighed. "Percy, I don't know if you've been here long enough to realize, but despite all that bullshit about purging the weak from our ranks, we're pretty protective of those not able to defend themselves. And Carmen, if you haven't noticed, definitely falls into that category."

"So?" he asked.

"You don't get it, Percy. Mother Lupa despises the weak. If . . . _when_ I beat her, Mother Lupa will make me kill her," she whispered. "And I don't know what to do."

He stiffened, realization dawning on him. "I'm sorry, Reyna, but I have to go," he said, standing up.

"Bye," she said. "And, Percy?"

He stopped, looking over his shoulder at her expectantly. She smiled. "Thank you."

He smiled at her. "No problem." Then he turned on his heel and walked away, intent on finding a certain Mother Wolf.

He finally found her alone on top of Aventine Cliff, staring out over Gladius. "Mother Lupa," he shouted, climbing up the ramp until he was at her side. "I need to talk to you."

The moon was hidden by clouds, and he had a feeling that it was going to rain soon. Lupa dipped her head, giving him permission to speak. "About the gladiator fight. You can't kill Carmen. I know that it's against your nature or it's our freaking duty to wipe out the weak or whatever, but she has done nothing to be killed. She's that way because of an accident. And if I recall, you promised Gwendolyn something regarding her, so—"

Lupa cut him off with a deep rumble, and he could've sworn the seven-foot-tall wolf was _laughing_ at him. _Jackson,_ she said, lifting her head to gaze at the sky, _I do not harm my pups._

Relief filled him, but he couldn't help doubting her words. "But what about how you wanted to kick Willis out because he wouldn't fight Reyna, and the rumors about you eating anyone who's out past curfew—"

_They are just what you called them,_ she snapped, looking up at the moon. _Rumors. I have a reputation to uphold, pup._

"And Willis?"

_I would've let him back into Gladius._ She looked at him, silver eyes glowing. _I do not harm my pups—_

"So . . . you're not going to kill Carmen?" he asked, reassured. "Okay, good. That's what I wanted to find out. Thank you." He made a move to leave, but was stopped by a warning whine from the wolf.

_You interrupted me, Jackson. I do not harm my pups,_ she said, brushing past him, _unless it is to teach a lesson._

* * *

**T**ime sped up, and suddenly it was Friday again. The entire camp had gathered for the outcome of this gladiator fight despite the fact that it was sprinkling. Even the Seekers were here to watch the event. Lupa was lounging on her stone block, and Carmen and Reyna were staring at each other across the circle, tense. Reyna looked like she hadn't slept in days, while Carmen looked relatively at ease.

Both girls had daggers, and nothing else. Lupa stood up when two Gladius campers lit the bonfires, her red fur and silver eyes flickering eerily in the orange light.

_Pups of Gladius!_ She called, looking around at the gathered crowd. _This is, as you know, the last gladiator fight of the season. Neither contestant is exempt from losing because of participation in the Challenge. Tonight, our contestants are Reyna Greene, daughter of Bacchus—and Carmen Webster, daughter of Juventas. _

_Any magical item gifted to you by your godly parent is tolerated. You can play dirty, you can maim as long as it is not fatal. You can only call for one five-minute break. Carla will act as medic afterwards. You know the rules—do not step past the boundaries, do not kill unless I give the command, fight well, and make me proud to be your Mother Wolf. Begin at my howl._

She threw her russet head back and let out a blood-chilling howl, and the two girls stepped into the circle. Percy muscled his way to the front of the crowd to see them better. At first, they did nothing but circle each other, and then Reyna shot out in a stab. For her part, Carmen blocked the attack, but she looked like she was in extreme pain.

The battle consisted of little parries until Reyna closed her eyes, mouthed something, and did the disarming technique Percy had showed her so many months ago.

Carmen's sword went flying, and Reyna pointed her dagger tip at the girl's throat. "I yield," said Carmen without hesitation or bitterness. About half of the kids in the crowd covered their face with their hands. Percy didn't, though. He _couldn't_. The rain grew heavier, and the water made him more tense and restless with every raindrop hitting his skin.

Reyna looked at Lupa. After a moment of dead silence, the she-wolf looked directly at Percy and shook her head. Someone in the crowd let out a choked cry, and Percy's hands clenched into fists.

Reyna took a deep breath and turned around, heading for the pole at the edge of the sand circle. When she pulled it out, the pole was attached to a mean-looking spearhead, blackened by dirt. Carmen got down on her knees, looking down at the ground.

Percy couldn't believe it. Why were they going along with this? Who in their right minds would allow a murder to happen right in front of them, without doing anything?

Well, one thing was for sure.

_He_ certainly wouldn't.

"Carmen Webster," said Reyna. Her voice cracked, and her eyes were closed. "You have been deemed by the—the Mater Roma t-to be unworthy for th-the life of Gladius. And so, it—it is my duty to purge your w-weakness from Gladius."

_Now_, his brain told him. Reyna raised the spear, her eyes closed, and Percy darted across the circle, lunging desperately for Carmen and twisting so that his body was covering hers.

The spear broke in half the moment it stabbed his chest, where Carmen's back was supposed to be. Reyna's eyes flew open and she took a step back, holding the broken weapon in her hands. A hushed gasp fell across the crowd, and for a moment the only sound was the rain and the flickering fires.

Percy sat up, still shielding Carmen, and examined himself. The spearhead had hit him directly where his heart was, and yet, he was unharmed. He should've been dead, but he wasn't.

Not that he was ungrateful or anything, but . . . how the _hell_ was he alive?

"That—that's impossible," Carmen said behind him. He turned around, too stunned to think of something to say.

Then he choked out, "Are you okay?"

She nodded, scrambling away from him. _Jackson?_ Lupa asked as her silver eyes bored into him. Her lips pulled back to reveal sharp yellow teeth, and she slowly climbed off the podium. _How _dare_ you?_

"How dare I?" he repeated, scrambling to his feet. "What, did you think I was going to stand by and watch while Carmen was murdered?"

_Learn your place_, _Jackson_, she said, staring him down. Well, screw her. He wasn't afraid of her anymore. _Insolence is punished in Gladius. We are merely weeding out the weak from our ranks. Do you disagree with our methods?_

"Hell, yes. You make us call you a mother!" Percy yelled. "But in reality you are a _tyrant._ You're a wolf, _Lupa_. We are supposed to be your pack—and yet, you sentence the weak ones to death! Did you do this to Romulus and Remus, who were mere _babies_ when you found them?

"Did you threaten them to do what you wanted or else you'd eat them? Did you sentence them to death after they had an accident and became disfigured when _they couldn't help it?_ I want an answer, wolf. And what about Aeneas? I'm sure you knew him, too. He _did_ contribute to the founding of Rome, after all."

There was a shocked silence. No one had dared to be so disrespectful to Lupa. All eyes were on the russet wolf, who regarded Percy with unmoved eyes. Then, slowly, she stood up and walked towards him. _I never met Aeneas. As for the twins . . . I did not. At the time, I had no idea what they would achieve. _

"Then why do it now?" He gestured to Carmen, who was curled up in a ball. Her shoulders were shaking, but he wasn't sure if she was crying or not. "This is no way to preserve their legacy. _We_ are your pack, Mother Lupa, and you're just destroying us."

Lupa bristled. _I took pity on them, as I take pity on all newborns presented to me at the House. It was when they became older that I left them, to see if they would pass my test. They did, and now look where you are. Bind him._

He glanced around and unsheathed Riptide, preparing for the worst. However, no one moved. He smiled in success. She looked around and bared her teeth. _I said, bind him! _After another silence, she snarled and walked forward. _Fine. You are all cowards. I will do this myself._

She stood to her full height and circled him, not paying attention to anyone in the shell-shocked crowd. He mirrored her movements. "Mother Lupa, I don't want to fight you—"

Quick as lightning, she was behind him and had pushed him to the ground, knocking the sword out of his hands. Riptide landed a few damned inches away from his outstretched arm, too far for him to grab without Lupa turning him into a wolf patty. Her weight pinned him in place, and he couldn't move without getting a snarl from the wolf.

He winced when her nose brushed the small of his back, a little jolt of pain going up his body. Abruptly, the weight was off his body and he lunged for Riptide, rolling over to see Lupa staring at him. He'd never seen the wolf look so bewildered—or angry.

_Greek._

* * *

_And so the plot thickens. Our tale is drawing to a close, because next chapter is the last one. I really hope I don't pull a Smeyer next chapter. XD Written for __**Project PULL**__. kind of. I don't know if we were supposed to update today or not, because they haven't answered my PM. -_- Anyway. Penny for your thoughts? :3_


	4. · Part IV ·

**Rehash of last chapter: **Lupa ordered a gladiator fight between Reyna, a skilled soldier, and Carmen, a cripple who can barely hold a sword, in order to punish Percy for disobedience. However, Percy saves Carmen from death and stands up to Lupa. Lupa attacks Percy and ends the chapter by declaring that he's a Greek, when the whole camp believed that he was a Roman.

Also a reminder, this was written before Son of Neptune, so all the Roman characters are different than what Rick has made them out to be. If you remember nothing about this fic but still have an alert for it, I strongly recommend re-reading it. This is also not beta'd, so I'll probably replace this with the beta'd version soon.

BUT HEY, at least I finished, right? :)

* * *

**· Part IV ·**

* * *

The whole camp fell silent. A chill settled over Percy. "What?" he whispered.

Lupa snarled so loudly it seemed to rip from her chest. The rain fell back to a steady patter and the bonfires dimmed. Her silver eyes had turned to molten rage, and she started pacing around him.

_Greek,_ her voice accused in his head. The words rang around in his mind, echoing, causing a blinding pain that he'd never felt before. Percy clutched his head. _Greek! _she screamed. Black dots swam over his vision and he fell to his knees, groaning.

Reyna stepped forward. "Mother Lupa—"

_He bathed in the Styx, you stupid girl!_ howled Lupa. _We have all been _blind!_ That centaur has played us all for _fools!_ He is not the son of Neptune. He is the son of Poseidon! He is a Greek._

Her words crashed like symbols in his head. He screwed his eyes shut and clamped his hands over his ears. Far away, Lupa howled. A chorus of wolves' howling answered her, and he went cold. She was calling her pack.

He opened his eyes and slowly got to his feet. The crowd was staring at him. Someone had helped Carmen up, apparently, because she was nowhere to be seen. Lupa was bristling, pacing back and forth, never taking her eyes off of him.

He swallowed. "Yes. I'm a Greek. But—"

Lupa didn't even wait for an explanation. _Kill him. His weak spot is the small of his back._

Percy picked Riptide up and waited for someone to attempt to give him the killing blow.

No one did. Lupa's lips curled over her teeth and she gave a deep, shuddering snarl that chilled Percy to his bones.

A pair of golden eyes appeared behind the she-wolf and smiled. Lightning lit up the sky, revealing a face for the first time—a teenager, wearing laurels in her coppery hair. When the sky darkened, Percy was so distracted by Golden Eyes that he didn't notice Mother Lupa pounce at him.

It was his ADHD that saved him. He turned to look at the she-wolf when he heard the barest trace of a growl—lightning flashed again, and he saw claws reaching for him. Riptide came up on instinct, and the blade buried itself up to the hilt. Blood sprayed his body, blinding him. Lupa, instead of becoming a deadly force, harmlessly crashed into him.

She made no noise as she lay on top of him. For a moment, there was silence. The fires lining her throne sputtered out. Percy pulled Riptide out of her and scrambled out from underneath the wolf, standing up and facing the crowd.

"I—I didn't—"

Carla broke through the crowd, her water bag in her hand, and knelt down next to the she-wolf. Reyna followed her.

Mae stepped forward and unsheathed a dagger at her side. "He killed her," she announced solemnly. Percy dropped Riptide as Bobby and Dakota rushed toward him, Reyna following.

Dakota grabbed his arms and twisted them behind his back, while Bobby rested his sword tip on the small of his back. Percy winced at the unfamiliar shoot of discomfort but held his ground.

Dakota started talking to the praetor as soon as she approached them. "Reyna, we have him. Just give us the word and Bobby'll run the traitor through."

Reyna didn't say anything, but her purple eyes were hard. Percy clenched his jaw and glared back at her. Reyna dropped her gaze and took a deep breath, looking up and seeming like she would accept—

"Wait!" Carla shouted, turning to look over her shoulder. "Lupa's alive!"

Percy held his breath as the whole camp turned to look at the daughter of Trivia. Carla turned back to Lupa, but continued, "She's barely breathing, but she's alive. Can someone go and get medicine from the fauns?"

Gwendolyn rushed off, and Reyna turned back to Bobby. "Don't kill him. Take him to the prisoner tent instead. He can keep the other Greek's company."

Bobby exhaled—relief, maybe?—and dropped his sword. The discomfort Percy had felt disappeared as well. He looked over his shoulder and saw a vine poking out of the ground, wrapping around his arms as a pair of makeshift handcuffs. When his wrists were tightly bound, Dakota snapped off the rest of the vine and allowed it to shrivel up and return to the soil.

Bobby put a hand on Percy's shoulder as Dakota started walking to the prisoner's tent. "C'mon, Jackson," he muttered, not meeting his eyes. Percy glanced over his shoulder—the campers were still swarming around Lupa—and started walking.

The camp was usually deserted on Friday nights—either because people were watching the gladiator fights or sleeping. But tonight, there were people swarming everywhere, urgently telling each other of the night's events.

The rain had only gotten heavier when they reached the tent. Hazel was standing in front of it, her arms outstretched as if she was protecting the entrance. "Move, Hazel," commanded Dakota. Hazel shook her head.

"Not until I hear it from Percy himself. Percy—did you really attack Mother Lupa?" Her voice didn't tremble, but her eyes were darting all over his face, expecting an answer.

Percy closed his eyes, and he could hear Hazel's gasp over the clap of thunder. "Move, Hazel," Dakota ordered again. This time there was no one to stand in their way when they entered the prisoner's tent.

Percy opened his eyes, expecting to see Lou Ellen's sardonic grin, but the prisoner tent was empty—except for a couple of slashed ropes and a note pinned to the fragments. Dakota knelt down and picked it up, squinting at it in the pale moonlight.

Her frown deepened as she read, and ended her reading when she crumpled the note up into a ball and threw it across the tent. "She's a daughter of Hecate!" she fumed, swearing. "She cut through the rope and left. She's probably already told the Greeks where we are."

She marched up to Percy and glared at him. "Tie him up, Bobby," she said, turning around. Her wet hair smacked Percy in the face. "The vines will hold until we get real rope. I'm going to organize a search party to look for the prisoner."

She went outside in a huff, leaving Percy and Bobby alone. Bobby avoided Percy's gaze as he forced him to sit against the pole. Vines pushed out of the ground and wrapped around Percy's arms. Just as Bobby turned to leave, Percy blurted, "I was doing the right thing. Saving Carmen's life."

Bobby sighed and put a hand on his scabbard. "I know. It would've been admirable if it weren't so stupid."

"I didn't know Lupa would react like that."

Bobby faced him and regarded him with dark, narrowed eyes. "Too late for regrets, don't you think? It's not going to change the fact that Gladius feels betrayed. I know I do."

With that, he left the tent, leaving Percy to his thoughts.

* * *

**D**akota came some time later, her clothes soaked and her reddish-brown hair frizzy. "We didn't find the Greek," she sneered. "They'll probably attack us within a week. I hope you're happy. How long did you think you could keep up the ruse?"

"I didn't know—"

"Oh, right, you had that whole amnesiac stunt you pulled. Even I fell for that. But it's time to tell the truth, Jackson. Maybe doing so will make Mother Lupa more forgiving."

"How's she doing?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Dakota smirked. "You know, you've hurt someone else just as badly as you hurt Mother Lupa. I'll let you guess who. Her name is a color, and a tree, and—"

"I don't want to talk about Hazel." Percy closed his eyes and rested his head against the poll. It was hard to sleep in this position.

Dakota was quiet for a moment. "She hates you, you know. You broke her heart."

Percy opened his eyes and glared at her in silence. Dakota, no longer smiling, shook her head and left the tent. Once again, he was alone.

* * *

**H**e had been in the tent for hours—days, probably. His only contact was Drake Willis, who came every once in a while to untie Percy so he could eat the food that the Romans gave him. Then Drake would tie him back up again and leave, all without saying a word to him.

Time meant nothing here.

He perked up as someone raised the burlap flap of his tent. His arms were sore from being tied up. "Who is it?" he asked, and keeping his eyes on the ground.

Wet, soft fingers touched his chin and lifted it. "Percy," a very familiar voice whispered.

"Hazel?" he choked out. She knelt down, so that they were at eye level. Her hair was plastered to her face, and her nose was dripping water. So that noise outside had been thunder. He looked over her shoulder and saw something strapped to her back. "I never thought that you'd come. Dakota said . . ."

"I don't care what Dakota said," she whispered. "But Mother Lupa sent me here on purpose. She wants to know something."

"What is it?" he whispered.

"If we had to battle the Greeks, which side would you fight for?" she asked softly, kneeling in front of him. She was gnawing on her lower lip, but her eyes didn't stray from his.

"Yours. The Romans. Of course."

She nodded, like she'd been expecting that answer. Then she leaned back and unsheathed the dagger at her side, cutting his bindings with one accurate swipe. Gods, he'd missed her. How long had it been since he'd seen her face? What day was it? What _month_ was it?

She wrapped her arms around him and laid her wet head on his shoulder. He hugged her back, burying his face in her hair. The only sound for a short while was their breathing. Then Hazel took a deep breath and pulled away from him. Her expression grim, she grabbed the object slung over her shoulder and pulled it over her head. She handed it to Percy and watched as he withdrew Riptide from its scabbard.

"The Greeks. They're here."

* * *

**P**ercy immediately put on his scabbard and followed Hazel outside. It was drizzling, and the camp was abandoned. Hazel gestured for him to follow and darted away. It took them only a few minutes before Percy realized that she was taking him to Aventine Cliff.

"The camp's already been evacuated. The first two legions are at the camp entrance, along with the wolf pack. Hopefully the Greeks don't have more than thirty-four people. Mother Lupa knows that the Greeks are here for you," Hazel explained as they walked up the cliff. "We can't let them have you, so she put you at the highest point in the camp. Gwen's there with the gryphons and a few other skilled archer demigods."

At this, she stopped and whirled around. "I know you said that you would fight for the Romans, but if something does happen, promise me you won't join the fight."

Percy stared at her for a moment, then shook his head. "I can't guarantee that."

Hazel's face fell. "Please."

He was saved from answering when someone hissed, "Why is Jackson here?"

Hazel glanced up to see Gwendolyn standing on the edge of the cliff, pointing an arrow at Percy. "Can I explain when we get up there?"

Gwendolyn jerked a nod and watched Percy as they finished the last leg of the journey. Percy got to the top of the cliff and faltered when he saw a giant warship slowly lowering itself through the air. There was a bronze dragon as its masthead—and it actually seemed to move. "What's that?"

"The ship your buddies are coming on. The gryphons tried attacking it, but the dragon breathed fire at it and scared them off. We can't do anything but wait."

Hazel began to explain why they were also at the cliff. Percy glanced down at the Romans as she spoke. Two clumps of trees bordered the passageway into camp, but the Romans weren't taking advantage of the forest. They stood in the clearing, easily spotted. "Why aren't they in the forest?"

"The Greeks already saw us assembling. They were scouting out the camp with their ship and were at the entrance when we arrived. The surprise was already ruined."

Percy took a glance at the cliff. There was a couple of other demigods, all of whom were either ignoring Percy or shooting him dark looks. But they all had a gryphon standing next to them. "What's this for?"

Gwendolyn mounted her own gryphon and slung her bow across her back. "We're the air support. Mother Lupa picked the archers that were a good shot and were good at handling gryphons to fly around and pick off the Greeks if we get attacked."

"We're waiting for them to attack us?" Hazel asked, wrinkling her nose. "How stupid is that?"

"Mother Lupa doesn't want to be the aggressor of any war," explained a demigod. "This way we can rightfully say they attacked us first."

Gwendolyn shushed them. The ship was getting closer to landing.

The Romans stirred anxiously as the enormously large ship settled down a few hundred feet in front of the ground force, hovering just above the ground. A rope ladder was thrown down from the side of the ship. The first person off the ship was a boy a few years younger than Percy, with blond hair. The crowd visibly stirred at the sight of him.

A girl with dark hair and tanned skin followed him. Both people were too far away to make out. The Romans stirred restlessly as they approached, and Lupa snapped, _Be alert!_

Percy was glad that the crowd was so disciplined, because if they were talking he never would have been able to hear what was going on below the cliff. A gryphon cawed loudly and quieted. The ambassadors slowed to a stop about fifty feet away. Far away enough to avoid a fight, but close enough to hear if they spoke.

The girl was the first to break the silence. "Listen, we don't want to fight. I'm sure you don't want to fight either. So how about you just put your weapons down and give us Percy Jackson—"

Hazel got a faraway look in her eyes. "She's right," she murmured. Percy couldn't help but agree with her.

The demigods started mumbling to each other, and another voice rang out, "Nice try, cousin. It's what my four-year-old sister could probably accomplish if she had charmspeak."

The girl stopped talking. "Excuse me?"

Sasha Everett emerged from the crowd, wearing no battle armor. "So. Jason. I see you've moved on. Did you even think of Reyna before your dick?"

Jason—that was the girl's companion, then—narrowed his eyes. "I don't know who you are. I remember Reyna's name, but my memories were stolen—you expect me to remember who she is?"

"Well, when you put it that way… who's the new whore?"

"My name's Piper. I'm not a whore," the girl spat out. Even though they weren't very loud, their voices carried to the cliff clearly. Hazel shifted next to Percy nervously.

"Sasha's as cunning as she was . . . is . . . beautiful. I don't like where this is going," she whispered. He had to agree; he hadn't talked to the daughter of Venus personally since the Challenge. But he remembered watching one of her gladiator fights—she'd made her competitor kneel before her and yield without lifting a finger.

"You look like one, sweet. I don't like you already—you insult my mother by calling her by her Greek cousin's name, you have poor charmspeaking skills _and_ you stole my friend's boyfriend. Jeez. What's your problem?"

By this time, the other Greeks had joined up with Piper and Jason. There were about ten others, not including the two ambassadors, and a hellhound. The Romans outnumbered them by twenty—they'd be crushed if they fought.

The Greeks, especially a tanned blonde, were scanning the crowd, but he was safe on the cliffs. Meanwhile, the Aphrodite vs. Venus situation continued without interruption.

"I didn't steal anyone's boyfriend," Piper protested, "and my mother's name is Aphrodite. You don't like it? You can deal."

Sasha smirked, pulling out a dagger, the only weapon she ever had. "You see this?" When Piper didn't say anything, she continued, "It's pretty, isn't it?"

Jason grabbed Piper's arm. "Don't," he warned. "I don't trust this girl."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "What's she gonna do?"

"I don't know," Hazel admitted. "That's the problem."

"You _want_ to hold this blade. Admit it," Sasha pressed. Piper stiffened. "Come here. I won't hurt you, I promise. You _want_ to come down here, stand next to me and hold the blade."

Piper moved like a snail down the hill. Jason tried to hold her back, but she would involuntarily shake him off and continue on. She soon came to a stop in front of Sasha, who held out the dagger with a warm, sugary smile. Piper slowly took the dagger by its hilt.

"Don't you feel you're worthless?" whispered Sasha. Were it not for the silence of the crowd, no one but Piper would have been able to hear her. "Don't you just want to kill yourself?"

Dread knotted in Percy's stomach. This was just like watching Reyna stand over Carmen, preparing to kill her—except this time, he couldn't do anything. Sasha continued, her voice dropping slightly, "Go on, take it. You two were meant for each other."

Hazel closed her eyes as Piper took the dagger, eying it closely. "It is pretty," she said. Her voice was no longer hers—it was a robot copy, a slave to Sasha's will. Jason moved to Piper, but Lupa stepped in front of him with a warning snarl.

Piper stabbed herself in the stomach.

"_Piper!_" Jason shouted, brushing past Lupa and running toward her. Piper fell to her knees and keeled over. Jason managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

Percy felt sick and glanced over at Hazel, who was unusually pale. The whole clearing held their breath to see what Jason would do. Gwendolyn quietly mounted a gryphon and withdrew an arrow from her quiver, and the other archers followed her led. The gryphons cawed and raked the dirt with their claws.

Someone blew a familiar-sounding hunting horn, and snow-white wolves seemed to materialize from the forest surrounding Gladius—including the cliffs Percy and Hazel were at. Gwendolyn twisted around on the gryphon and fired an arrow at a wolf that got too close, and the other wolves retreated.

Percy turned around to see what was going on below. A girl with spiky black hair strolled through a part of the forest, flanked by other girls that couldn't have been older than fourteen. Jason was cradling Piper, with Lupa circling him. The Romans below muttered and watched the white wolves nervously.

The spiky-haired girl arrived in front of the gaggle of Greeks and put her hands on her hips. "This levels the playing field, don't you think?" she asked. Jason lowered Piper to the ground and took out his sword.

The wind abruptly picked up speed as the sky began to darken. Within a few moments, the rain had increased to a storm and lightning cracked through the clouds. Jason could control the weather? Percy glanced at Hazel, who shivered in the cold. "Jason's a son of Jupiter," she said, clutching her staff.

Sasha started laughing. She made no move to hide from Jason, who slowly lowered his sword and pointed it at her. Lightning arced from the sky and hit his sword. In a blinding streak of light, it shot out of his sword and hit Sasha in the chest.

Sasha flew back and crumpled like a rag doll. She didn't move. Her death was the hidden signal to the Romans. Lupa bared her teeth and howled. Gwendolyn dug her heels into her gryphon's sides, and it launched itself into the air. The other gryphons, all bearing riders, followed the daughter of Apollo's lead. Percy could only watch as the Romans and Greeks clashed, horrified.

"We have to do something," he said. He started forward, but Hazel's staff thwacked his chest, stopping him.

"You're not doing anything. Once the Romans see you, they'll try their best to kill you."

"I can't be killed, remember? I bathed in the Styx, whatever that means. I told you I would fight for the Romans, and—"

"You told me. I believe you. Gladius won't." She shook her head, sending raindrops everywhere.

Percy glanced down at the battlefield. An army of skeletons were fighting each other now. That meant . . . the Greeks had to have a child of Pluto on their side. "You just have to trust me."

And before she could say anything else, he turned around and jumped off the cliff. The wind whistled past his ears as he fell. Thankfully, he didn't land on anyone, and rolled as soon as he landed.

Pausing for a heartbeat, he stood up and unsheathed Riptide. It seemed to glow in the dismal light of the battlefield. Tightening his grip on the hilt, he charged right into the battle.

The first person he met was Mae. She smirked when she saw him and darted around, protecting his back. She withdrew an arrow and shot it at a skeletal warrior that got too close. "What are you doing?" he shouted, batting someone in a purple shirt away. Mae laughed.

"Protecting you. The Romans want you dead, if you couldn't tell."

Percy glanced over his shoulder and saw a white wolf lunge at Mae when her back was turned. "Look out!"

She didn't react fast enough. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her out of the way. The snarling wolf crashed into him instead of her, taking him down to the ground. Percy fought it off, and felt nothing when a golden arrow sprouted from the base of its skull from overhead.

Mae was back on her feet, but unable to help Percy when a muscular young woman with stringy brown hair attacked her. He made a move to help her, but a Roman jumped in front of him and held up his sword.

"I won't let you betray Gladius!" he shouted through the rain. Percy raised an eyebrow—this guy was a son of Mercury or something. He'd seen him around, but had never talked to him before. Nevertheless, he wasn't very skilled, and it was easy to fend him off.

"I don't want to betray Gladius. I'm on your side," he snarled. The son of Mercury parried his strike and elbowed him in the gut. Percy barely felt it and pushed him to the ground, kicking his sword away from him and pointing his sword at him threateningly. "Don't get in my way, kid."

The son of Mercury scowled and reached for his sword, but a bright green flame erupted in the corner of his eye. Percy turned around, tightening his grip on Riptide and preparing for a fight.

Nothing came. Instead, he could see two writhing figures between the Romans and the Greeks—Hazel was definitely one of them, wielding her staff expertly. But the blonde she was facing off was just as skilled with her chosen weapon—a dagger—and agile enough to avoid the flames that shot out of Hazel's staff.

Percy felt his throat go dry when the blonde kicked Hazel's legs out from underneath her. Hazel rolled out of the way, barely missing the blonde's dagger. Without thinking, he charged toward them.

Hazel got to her feet and picked up her staff in time to avoid getting slashed in the face. She pushed the blonde away and launched flames—this time, instead of the phantom green she normally used, they were real flames that caught on the grass around them despite the light rainfall.

The blonde stepped back, unsure, and Hazel struck. She dropped her staff and withdrew two daggers in her belt, slashing at her enemy. Percy reached them just as the blonde beat Hazel back and darted into the space between them, holding Riptide out in front of him.

"Leave her alone," he told the Greek. Hazel picked up her staff and twirled it, sheathing one of her daggers.

The Greek girl looked shocked. "Percy."

He smiled in return and gestured to her. "If you want to fight her, you have to get through me. Your move."

The blonde swallowed and glanced at the flames that were quickly spreading. A few people had noticed them, and some were even panicking. "I will—if she calls off her flames."

Percy pointed Riptide at the Greek's throat and nodded to Hazel. In the blink of an eye, the flames faded as if they had never existed, and completely disappeared in a gust of wind. The blonde held her pinkies to her mouth and whistled sharply. The Greeks immediately fought off their opponents and retreated to the front of the ship they'd arrived in.

Lupa howled, but her call for battle was ignored as people began to notice that Percy Jackson was pointing a sword at one of the few Greeks. Lupa growled and ordered the Romans to wait until attacked, turning around and stalking toward the pair. The Romans skittered after her, eying the people they'd just been fighting warily. The Greeks eyed them as well and converged behind their leader. Soon both sides were facing off again, with just the blonde and Percy between them.

Percy could only concentrate on the situation in front of him. He was tense, waiting for his opponent to attack. Instead, the blonde did something that surprised him. She sheathed her dagger and held up her hands, holding her head high. "Your move."

Percy swallowed. Images of Carmen, defenseless in front of Reyna, flitted through his mind. "I could kill you right now, you know."

"You won't." The Greek's gaze held steady, and he noticed she had eyes the color of storm clouds. "I trust you."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "That's a mistake. I'm a Roman."

She shrugged, but her gaze never strayed from his. "Okay. You're Roman. I'm Greek. We're hated enemies. So why haven't you killed me yet?"

Percy couldn't answer. The blonde blinked and shook her head. "You really don't remember me, do you?"

Fur brushed against his jeans, and he glanced down to see Lupa—bandages wrapped around her midsection—bristling beside him. _Go on, pup. Prove your loyalty to Gladius. Kill this Greek._

Percy didn't take his eyes off of the girl. "Who are you?"

"Who do you think I am?" Her eyes sparked, as if challenging him to remember her himself. Her curls hung in a limp ponytail, and she briefly lifted her hands and took it out, allowing it to fall past her shoulders. "C'mon, Seaweed Brain. Think."

Seaweed Brain?

Suddenly, something clicked. He'd seen this girl in flashbacks, right at the beginning of his time at Gladius. She'd been with him in most of them—hadn't she? His fleeting confidence wavered at his newfound uncertainty.

"I don't know who you are."

"You do."

_Kill her, Jackson!_ Lupa snarled. Her claws raked the dust. The girl kept her gaze on Percy.

"I was worried sick over you, you know. I refused to stop looking for you—I had no idea you'd show up on the other side of the country until we found Jason. I was convinced that when I got here and rescued you, everything will be okay. I don't know why the Romans are so eager to protect you, or if you'll even believe me. But I know that somewhere in your head, you know who I am. You just need to remember. Why don't you remember?"

Percy glanced at the Greek that had lined up behind the girl and saw a shock of electric green hair. Lou Ellen pushed through the crowd and met his gaze directly. She pointed at the blonde in front of him and mouthed one word.

Percy turned his gaze back on the girl. "Are you Annabeth?"

Annabeth smiled and pushed Riptide away. "About time, Percy. I was starting to get worried."

She started for him, but Lupa stepped forward, her fur bristling and her yellow teeth gleaming. _Step away from us._

Annabeth blinked and looked at the she-wolf, and she obligingly stepped away from Percy. "You must be Lupa. I'm sorry. Things got out of control. We only want to take Percy back where he belongs—Camp Half-Blood."

Lupa lifted her head. _And Jason Grace? Will he trade himself for Percy?_

Her question was loud in the minds of everyone, and everyone heard Jason's colorful denial.

Lupa began to pace. _Then you will not have Percy Jackson. I will give you a chance to leave, to bury your dead and tend for your wounded. We will do the same. If you refuse to do this, we Romans will not rest until every drop of Roman blood is avenged three times over. You will never learn the secrets of Gladius, Greek._

Percy glared at Lupa. "No."

_What?_

"You two can't bargain over me like I'm some animal. I'm my own person, and I can make my own decisions."

Annabeth rested her hand on her dagger, her attention focused on the she-wolf that was watching everything at once. "What's your decision?"

He sheathed Riptide and met Lupa's eyes. "Mother Lupa, you mentioned the secrets of Gladius—but I have no idea what you're talking about. If you're afraid of me telling them, you don't need to be."

_Words mean nothing. Do you think Gladius trusts you?_ she spat, her nails kneading the dirt underneath her paws.

Percy cleared his throat. "Then I'll prove it to you. I swear on the Styx that I won't tell a soul about what I did here at Gladius."

The sky darkened and thunder rolled, but Percy wasn't afraid of the light showers becoming a thunderstorm. The gods had heard him, and so had Lupa, who had stilled and sat down, watching both sides at once. Her pack members began to creep around her, protecting her on all sides, and murmurs rippled through the Romans.

Lupa's eyes seemed to glow._ Send your Greeks back to their ship._

Annabeth nodded to the spiky-haired girl, and the Greeks began to retreat. Soon, the ship began to whine as it started rising. It stopped about a hundred feet off the ground and stayed where it was. Lupa leveled her gaze on Annabeth and her lips curled. _Swear you won't tell a soul about what you see at Gladius_.

"I swear on the Styx that I won't reveal anything I see in Camp Gladius," Annabeth said. Another crack of thunder boomed, but the rain lessened until it was nearly misting.

Lupa stood up and shook the excess water off. _You have one hour to pack any remaining belongings, Jackson. The only Greek allowed into this camp is your companion. We shall be burying our dead and burning yours. I expect you all to be gone by the hour's end. If not . . ._

"We understand." Annabeth stepped forward and bowed her head. "Thank you, Lupa."

In response, Lupa threw her head back and howled. Everyone Roman began to retreat back to Gladius in silence, throwing glances at the pair before them. Lupa's pack seemed to blend back into the shadows of the forest.

When the group behind them was out of sight, Annabeth joined his side. Her gaze met his and she forced a smile. "Ready?"

* * *

**H**e stood in his old room, unable to believe that it was, in fact, his room. He no longer had brick walls and wooden floors. His room looked just like the inside of a tent—slanted canvas walls, a dirt floor, only a mattress as a bed and hardly any belongings.

The hour was ticking away—there had to be less than thirty minutes to finish. Gladius wanted nothing to do with him anymore. Anyone who dared to remain his friend—Bobby, Carmen, Reyna and even Gwendolyn—had already stopped by to say goodbye. Hazel was the only one who remained in the tent.

She tied her hair back in a ponytail and sighed. "You know Lupa will probably want to attack—wherever you go. I know most of the other Romans do, too. They think Sasha's death will be in vain."

Percy ran a hand through his hair. "Do you?"

"Yes. But I also think that she shouldn't have provoked Jason like that. We all knew how powerful he was when he was here." Hazel bit her lip and wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm going to miss you, Percy."

Percy smiled. "You're acting like we'll never see each other again. What if I hate Camp Half-Blood and want to come back to Gladius?"

Hazel chuckled. "Please. You act like there's something here worth coming back to."

Percy stared at her. "I can think of a few things."

"Percy?" a voice whispered. He looked away from Hazel to see the blonde Greek girl—Annabeth was her name, right?—standing in his doorway, her face scrunched up in thought.

"Hey . . . Annabeth."

She smiled a little at that. Hazel cleared her throat. "I should probably be going, now. The funerals will start soon. Bye, Percy. I hope you find what you're looking for."

She stood in front of him, bit her lip, and sprung forward, hugging him. Percy returned her hug and rested his chin on her head, squeezing her arm before pulling away. "Thank you for everything you did for me, Hazel. I'll never forget you."

Hazel smiled and glanced back at Annabeth's blank expression. "I won't forget you, either. I hope we do see each other again—just not on the battlefield."

With one last smile, Hazel blinked and walked out of the tent, leaving Percy and Annabeth alone. Percy sat on his pallet and gave his supposed girlfriend a forced smile. "What's up?"

"Walk with me?"

He glanced around his threadbare room and shrugged, standing up and offering to give her a tour. She walked side-by-side with him as he led her around the camp. Any Romans they saw either ignored them or turned around and walked away. Annabeth didn't seem fazed by this, though. She could only wonder why Percy hadn't remembered anything yet.

"So you really don't remember anything?"

"I got flashbacks early on, but I had no idea who was in them or what they were flashbacks of. You guys keep telling me these stories about what I did before this. That's great and all, but it still doesn't make me automatically remember the things you're talking about."

They were at the border of the forest that surrounded Gladius now, right next to looming rock that made up Aventine Cliff. Annabeth shook her head. "I just don't get it. Presuming that Hera did the same thing to both you _and_ Jason, you should have already—"

"But, Miss Chase, Hera did not take Percy Jackson's memories," a voice said, cutting his supposed girlfriend off. She stopped and whirled around. Percy turned, too.

The person standing amongst the trees was the Vestal Virgin he'd seen tending the fire in the dining hall his first few weeks at Gladius. Gold pieces clinked together as she walked toward them, the white in her robes shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow.

But what he really wanted to know was why she was here.

"Who are you?" asked Annabeth. The Vestal Virgin smiled, and Percy noticed that her eyes were solid gold. The Vestal Virgin was the same person who'd been haunting him at night.

"I am Roma, the keeper of Perseus Jackson's memories. You are Annabeth Chase, nuisance to all my plans."

Annabeth faltered. Percy stared at Roma. "Keeper of my memories? What do you mean? Didn't Hera take both of our memories, if Annabeth's right?"

Roma looked at him, and he shivered. Her eyes were cold as she smiled. "Au contraire, Perseus—the blonde is incorrect. I am the embodiment of the greatest empire to grace the planet, Rome herself. Did you _really_ think that I would allow Hera to take a pure Roman demigod's memories?"

"So you took Percy's memories?" the blonde girl next to him asked, her eyes narrowed in thought.

"Oh, yes. I refused to let a Greek take one of my children's memories willingly, so we struck a bargain. Hera would only be able to take Jason's memories if I could take yours, Perseus. Except she never said I had to give them back." A shadow of a smirk played on her lips. "However, as I am a kind, compassionate and fair goddess, I am willing to give them back . . . for a price."

"What do I have to do, then?" he asked. He was starting to dislike Roma more and more.

"Come now, Perseus. You've been in Gladius for months, now. What has Lupa taught you?"

He pursed his lips. "How am I supposed to earn them, then?"

She laughed. "Simple! Save your precious Greeks, and do it fairly."

"Fairly?" said Annabeth, furrowing her brow.

"Oh, yes. I won't have Perseus have an advantage in the battlefield." At this, Roma grinned savagely.

"What do you—never mind." He realized it the moment the words left his mouth.

"Yes," she purred. "You must give up your Achilles curse if you ever want your memories back."

* * *

**Ω**

If you have questions – Piper's death, the members aboard Argo II, etc, just PM me. No way am I going to explain everything in an ending A/N. And, obviously at the time I wrote that last scene (it was one of the few prewritten ones), I thought Percy giving up his Achilles spot would be way harder than crossing a river carrying a goddess. Other than that . . .

I DON'T EVEN CARE. Camp Gladius is done. Done. Complete! Finally. Thanks for those of you who still stuck with me through these years.

Ta. x


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